One of the best tasting things to eat is spinach artichoke dip. Even if you don’t like spinach or artichokes, if you add tons of creamy sauce and parmesan cheese then you can consume anything and enjoy it. You know why? Cause it is also one of the most calorie-laden foods around. Especially cause you have to eat it with tortilla chips or bread pieces. Mmm. But a dip is not the only way to eat this. You can have it in mashed potatoes! These vegan and gluten-free Spinach Artichoke Mashed Potatoes are way healthier than the dip, but you won’t even know it.

This idea just came to me, mostly because I have had that can of artichokes for a while now – it came with me for the move. It is my favorite kind of artichokes, because it doesn’t have any seasonings in it! No herbs, no excess vinegar or oil. They are perfect for adding to any dish and why not make something dip like? At work there was a going away party for someone I didn’t know and someone had made the Spinach and Artichoke dip and it looked so good – yes, I had a bite and it tasted so heavy and not all that worth the calories. My first thought was I need to try to make this dip. Then I told myself no I didn’t cause then I would eat it all. By myself. Not good. But I also knew if I didn’t add all the fattening cheese and sour cream I could be okay with it. Well adding anything to a potato is good – spinach and artichokes with some mozz cheese? Oh yes. And I have to say, the horseradish is a perfect spicy bite to this. Mmm. It was really good.

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Wash and scrub all potatoes – you can peel them if you want, I never do. Boil potatoes until fork tender then drain. While potatoes are boiling drain artichokes and slice into small pieces. Defrost spinach and squeeze out all liquid. Dump drained potatoes into a large mixing bowl then add milk, spices and horseradish and mash it all up – add more milk to make just a little creamy if needed. Dump in artichokes and break up spinach then mix it all together. Add half the bag of mozzarella cheese then mix it all again. Dump into a baking dish and bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Take out and spread rest of the cheese on top then bake 25 more minutes. Then consume, and enjoy cause it is just that good.

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Spinach Artichoke Mashed Potatoes,

1 Pkg Frozen Spinach, defrosted and drained
1 Can Unseasoned Artichoke Hearts, drained and chopped
6-7 Smallish Potatoes, boiled and drained
1/3 + more C So Delicious Almond Plus Unsweetened Milk
5 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Horseradish
2 Tsp Dried Basil
1 Tsp Black Pepper
1 Pkg Daiya Mozzarella Cheese

1. Set oven to 375 degrees.
2. Wash / scrub potatoes; chop into smallish cubes.
3. Dump potatoes into pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, turning heat down to a medium heat so they don’t overflow. Drain when soft.
4. Dump drained potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Add basil, horseradish, garlic, black pepper. Pour in milk and mash, adding more milk until just creamy, if needed.
5. Defrost and squeeze liquid from spinach. Drain liquid from artichokes. Chop artichokes into smallish pieces.
6. Dump artichoke pieces into bowl then break up spinach and add into the bowl. Mix all together.
7. Add half the bag of cheese to the bowl and mix.
8. Dump mixture into a baking dish and bake 20 minutes.
9. Take out and add last half of bag to the top of the potatoes. Bake 25 more minutes.
10. Enjoy!