Karl’s Spinach Dip

Daughter Eilene is having friends over and she asked that I make sesame crackers. While these crackers are tasty and thoroughly addictive on their own, they do not constitute a meal. I decided to make some spinach dip and lay out some cheese and salami to round out the meal.

Karl’s Spinach Dip

Several of Eilene’s friends are Asian and therefore lactose intolerant. Most of the recipes I found online called for massive amounts of mayonnaise, sour cream, or cream cheese. Picking and choosing ingredients from several different recipes, I came up with something they would like.

Karl’s Spinach Dip

Ingredients

16 oz. frozen chopped spinach
13.75 oz. artichoke hearts, not marinated

7 oz. Greek yogurt
3 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large avocado, peeled, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 Tbs. siracha
1 Tbs. olive oil
½ Tbs. lemon juice
½ tsp. black pepper, cracked
¼ tsp. kosher salt

Directions

1. Defrost and squeeze out as much liquid as you can from the spinach.

Tip: Save at least a quarter cup of this liquid. You may need a little extra fluid to help the blender process the ingredients properly. However, you want the final product to be thick and dippable, so do not add too much.

2. Coarsely chop the spinach.

3. Put about half of the spinach into a standing blender or food processor and set the rest aside.

Tip: My plan was to grind some of the ingredients into a paste, but to also add some of the spinach and artichokes at the end to give the dip some chunky character.

4. Drain the artichokes and separate the tough outer leaves.

Tip: These leave are difficult to chop and into the blender they will go.

Note: You may want to save one whole piece of artichoke to use as a garnish.

5. Chop the remaining artichokes coarsely and set them aside.

6. Add the yogurt, onion, garlic, avocado, olive oil, siracha, lemon juice, pepper, and salt into the blender.

Note: While yogurt is a dairy product the process of becoming yogurt breaks down the lactose, so that most Asians may eat it without difficulty.

7. Process the ingredients until smooth, scrapping the sides of the container as needed.

8. Add the remaining spinach and artichoke and pulse to mix them in.

Tip: You want them to be slightly chopped up, but if necessary whisk them in by hand.

9. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the artichoke.

10. Serve with fresh crackers.