What the bulk? Creamy Spinach Dip

I recently attended a local Whole Foods sponsored cooking class and was lucky enough to make and sample this delicious Creamy Spinach Dip.

Don't you love how they presented the dip? It never occurred to me to line a bowl with lettuce leaves and then fill the bowl with vegetables. Sometimes (often!) it's the little touches that make food look so good.

And trust me, this dip not only looks good, it IS good. And it contains two "what the bulk" items: nutritional yeast and cannellini beans.

Rich avocado and puréed white beans give this crowd-pleasing, healthy dip its creamy texture. Serve with carrots, celery and red bell pepper for dipping. Our Health Starts Here® recipes celebrate naturally flavorful whole foods by limiting added sodium and containing no extracted oils or refined sweeteners.

  

Whole Foods' Creamy Spinach Dip

Ingredients

2 fresh jalapeño peppers, chopped (seeds removed, if desired)
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups 365 Everyday Value® Organic Unsweetened Almondmilk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 cups cooked no-salt-added cannellini beans (or 2 15-ounce cans)
1 avocado
1 (16-ounce) package frozen 365 Everyday Value® Chopped Spinach, prepared and squeezed to remove excess liquid

Method

Cook peppers and onion in a large dry skillet over medium heat until browned and softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add almondmilk and simmer, scraping up any browned bits, for 2 minutes more. Carefully transfer contents of skillet to a food processor along with lemon juice, yeast, beans and avocado and purée until smooth. Stir in spinach and serve warm or at room temperature. (To heat dip, spread in an 8-inch baking dish and bake in a 350°F oven until hot throughout, 25 to 30 minutes.)

Nutrition

Per serving: 180 calories (40 from fat), 4.5g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 125mg sodium, 24g total carbohydrate (8g dietary fiber, 2g sugar), 11g protein

What in the world is....Nutritional Yeast?

What in the world is...nutritional yeast? Is it nutritious? Delicious? Lets find out what wiki has to say about it:


"Nutritional yeast is produced by culturing the yeast with a mixture of sugarcane and beet molasses for a period of 7 days and then harvesting, washing, drying and packaging it. This is commercially available in the form of flakes or as a yellow powder similar in texture to cornmeal, and can be found in the bulk aisle of most natural food stores. It is popular with vegans and vegetarians and may be used as an ingredient in recipes or as a condiment.^[2]

Nutritional yeast flakes

It is a source of protein and vitamins, especially the B-complex vitamins, and is a complete protein. It is also naturally low in fat and sodium and is free of sugar, dairy, and gluten. Some brands of nutritional yeast, though not all, are fortified with vitamin B12. When fortified, the vitamin B12 is produced separately (commonly Cyanocobalamin) and then added to the yeast because yeasts are fungi, whereas B12 is synthesized only by bacteria.

Nutritional yeast has a strong flavor that is described as nutty, cheesy, or creamy, which makes it popular as an ingredient in cheese substitutes. It is often used by vegans in place of parmesan cheese. Another popular use is as a topping for popcorn. It can also be used in mashed and fried potatoes, as well as put into scrambled tofu or eggs. Some movie theaters offer it along with salt or cayenne pepper as a popcorn condiment."

If you're interested, pick some up and give it a try. I use it in my Thanksgiving gravy to give it some serious deep flavor, but recently blogged about it in this post about popcorn.

Don't you find it interesting that there are foods like this that are SO good for you? Try it!

What the BULK?!?!? Popcorn!

Happy Valentine's Day dear readers! I thought it would only be appropriate today to focus on a heart-healthy snack. Popcorn. Remember popcorn? That simple, inexpensive, perfect snack food that has been replaced by the nasty stuff we pop in a microwave? When's the last time you made popcorn on the stove and topped it with a pinch of sea salt? Or even better, air popped it and really focused on the crunch of a freshly-popped kernel?

Here is a different and fun popcorn recipe, courtesy of The Spicy Vegan:

Nutritional Yeast Popcorn

2 tbsp of grapeseed oil *veganmama note: it's good because it has very little taste and can handle high temps!*

1/2 cup of yellow or white popcorn

a spritz of olive oil spray

1/2 cup of nutritional yeast

1 tsp of sea salt

dash of cayenne (optional)

Place oil and kernels in a heavy pot with a tight-fighting glass lid on medium-high heat. Using oven mitts, shake pot to coat the kernels with oil. Continue shaking every 20-30 seconds, never letting it rest on the heat for more than 30 seconds. After all kernels are popped transfer to an extra large bowl. Lightly spritz with olive oil spray and start shaking in the salt and nutritional yeast. Repeat this process as you continue shaking the bowl until all contents are evenly coated. Top off with a dash of cayenne (if using) and give it a final shake. Throw on a movie and enjoy!

Prep time: 10 minutes

Now this has nothing to do with food, but because it's the day of LOVE, I thought I'd leave you with a clip from one of my favorite movies, "Cinema Paradiso." It speaks for itself!




I love my readers!