Baked Spinach and Artichoke Spread

Thanksgiving dinner was great, but nothing was especially blog-worthy. I haven’t even made anything from the leftovers yet, as we immediately put everything in the freezer and high-tailed it to Austin and San Antonio for the rest of the holiday. I did recently make a blog-worthy spinach and artichoke spread, though. This would be perfect for a holiday party.

Spinach and artichoke spread should be about the vegetables, not the gloppy white stuff they’re mixed with. This has just enough Vegenaise to hold it all together, without overwhelming the main ingredients. Three cloves of garlic may seem like a lot, but the flavor mellows when you bake the spread.

We each took one bite of this and declared it Spinach Crack.

Baked Spinach and Artichoke Spread

1/4 cup raw cashew nuts

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

10 ounce package chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 cup artichoke hearts, canned or frozen and thawed, roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons Vegenaise or other mayonnaise (a.k.a. gloppy white stuff)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a food processor, grind cashew nuts to a powder. Transfer to a medium bowl.

Add the garlic slices to food processor and pulse to chop, stopping to scrape down the side sides of the processor once or twice. Add spinach and pulse a few times to combine with the garlic. Transfer to the bowl with the ground cashews.

Stir in the artichokes, salt, thyme, white pepper, allspice and balsamic vinegar. Add Vegenaise and mix well.

Transfer to a small, oiled casserole dish. Bake for 25 minutes.

Mission San José in San Antonio.