You know one of those foods that is really decadent but you never really make it yourself?  You only have it at restaurants for an appetizer because it is so calorific?  And you normally share it with other people so you don’t feel horribly guilty when you dive into your actual meal?  Well here is my Vegan and Gluten Free Spinach and Artichoke Dip Pasta.

I love a good spinach and artichoke dip.  At restaurants it is always ooey and gooey warm, and served with tortilla chips or crispy breads.  At bar-b-ques it is normally made from a seasoning pouch and just as fattening with sour cream; it is served cold and with torn pieces or french bread.  All wonderful, all non-vegan!

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This recipe was actually a whole lot easier than I thought it would be when I was thinking about it.  The longest part of the entire thing was defrosting the spinach…and let me tell you, the spinach did not want to defrost and be eaten.  It took over twenty minutes, a few sparks from the box, and some burnt leftovers on the microwave plate before I finally took the spinach out of the box and then microwaved it some more before pressing out the liquid.  Sheesh talk about annoying!

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Start your spinach defrosting.  First I sauteed the onions in a little olive oil on medium heat; as the onions were browning I added water to help the saute along.  Then I slid the onions onto a plate, then made a roux in the same pan (want to learn about making roux click here).  While the roux was cooking I added the spices and garlic.  Once the roux tightened up I added the Dijon mustard and onions.

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While the water is boiling for the noodles, drain the artichokes and slice the larger hearts.  When the water is ready, break noodles in half and add to water.  Just FYI, the noodles are very fragile and they break all over the stove so do it over the pot.  Add the hearts and mix into the roux.  Once spinach is defrosted or as close as possible add to roux and fold in.  Drain noodles and add to pan and fold those in.

Vegan and Gluten Free Spinach Artichoke Dip Pasta, 5 Servings

2 Boxes Birds Eye Spinach, defrost
One Small Onion, chopped small
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Earth Balance Soy Free Butter
3 Tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill Oat Flour
1 1/2 C So Delicious Dairy Free Coconut Milk
1/2 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tsp Basil
2 Tsp Parsley
3 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp French’s Dijon Mustard
2 Jars Cara Mia Marinated Artichoke Hearts
1 Box De Bolles GF Quinoa Plus Golden Flax Spaghetti Style Noodles, broken in half

1. Defrost spinach (carefully).
2. Chop onion and saute with one tablespoon olive oil on medium heat, add water as needed. Slide onions onto a plate.
3. To pan add one tablespoon olive oil and the butter and melt-add flour. Let the flour cook, while whisking, for one minute. Add coconut milk and turn down heat. Whisk while it thickens.
4. Add spices and garlic. Keep whisking.
5. Add Dijon mustard and onions and mix gently. Add 1/2 cup water to loosen up a little.
6. Boil water for noodles. Gently break noodles in half and dump into water, add a little salt.
7. Drain artichoke hearts, and add the spices at the bottom of the jar to the roux mix. Slice larger hearts smaller and add all to pan. Mix gently.
8. Press out liquid from the spinach with a clean cloth (carefully as it will be hot). Crumble and add to pan and fold all together.
9. Drain noodles and add to pan, fold in gently.
10. Portion out and enjoy!

Stats:
Calories: 398
Total Fat: 13g
Sodium: 652mg
Carbs: 58g
Protein: 8g

I entered this recipe in the So Delicious Dairy Free 3 Course Recipe Contest and used So Delicious Coconut Milk.