Spicy, creamy artichoke and kale dip

New year, new decade… and this post is a remedy for the January blues. As the thrill of the holiday season fades, we’re allowed to soothe our soul by putting our feet up and binge-watching sports while grazing on a lineup of savoury snacks.

Between basketball, hockey and football, every weekend this winter is game day at my house. Which means we spend our afternoons on the couch, comforted by creamy guacamole, spicy hummus, chunky salsa, garlicky tzatziki, plus nachos, crackers, nuts and antipasto.

How do I make it fun and vegan friendly? Interesting spices, tons of fresh herbs and veggies, and good-quality olive oil.

Lately I am obsessed with artichoke dip. I was buying the Italian brand Paese Mio’s and realized that the ingredients are so simple, I could easily make my own. This version doesn’t require baking; you only need a blender. Here, I’ve added kale and cilantro but you can also use spinach and parsley. The blending took all but five minutes, as I like my dips chunky.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Yields: 1 cup

• 1 14-ounce can of artichokes, drained and chopped
• 1 cup of kale or spinach, chopped
• 1/2 cup of cilantro or parsley, chopped
• 1 to 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp of rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp of chili powder
• 1 tsp of chili flakes
• salt to taste

1. In a high-speed blender, combine the artichokes, greens and herbs with the rice vinegar and 1 tbsp of olive oil.
2. Blend until the mixture starts to become creamy, about a minute. If it’s too thick, add more olive oil.
3. Sprinkle the nutritional yeast, chili powder, chili flakes and salt.
4. Continue blending to your desired creaminess.

Perfecting my dip game.