Vegan Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese (The Lori Mac)

It helps to have friends that are genius, like my vegan friend Lori!

Lori is great for a multitude of reasons, including rodent rescue and release. She even took in, and raised, a baby mouse we found in our house, and was able to release it into the wild (and before you say, ewwwww, let me tell you, a baby mouse no bigger than you thumb nail is literally the cutest thing.)

She is GREAT, and has the biggest heart for all animals. Lori also apparently has some mad culinary skills, because not too long ago I saw her post on Facebook that she was going to make spinach and artichoke mac and cheese!!

WHAT!?!? Why had my brain not gone there yet? So we quickly whipped up a batch of our vegan spinach and artichoke dip and mixed into some noodles with a little extra cheese and, WOW!

Lori was not wrong with this one!!! So thank you Lori for being all around awesome and genius, and thanks for always saving all the little critters nobody else wants to save! We are your biggest fans and so are our stomachs!

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INGREDIENTS:

• 16 oz box elbow macaroni noodles, regular or gluten free

• I batch of vegan spinach and artichoke dip

• 2 cups vegan mozzarella cheese shreds, homemade or store bought

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INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Boil noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

2. Make Spinach and Artichoke dip according to recipe instructions.

3. Mix in 1 cup of mozzarella shreds into the dip.

4. Pour dip into a 9x13 casserole dish and sprinkle the top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella.

5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Just long enough to heat through and melt the cheese on top.

If you like this recipe, try these:

Nut free Vegan Mac n Cheese

Vegan Buffalo Chicken Mac n Cheese

Vegan Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Growing up, spinach and artichoke dip was my favorite dip, especially if it was served in a bread bowl!

Growing up in the south, this dip was a staple at every baby shower, pot luck or holiday party.

Luckily this classic dip is super easy to veganinze, and once again you will likely fool just about anyone who tries it into thinking its not vegan at all.

We simply just replaced the regular mayo and cream cheese with our favorite vegan versions and kept the rest of the recipe pretty traditional, or make your own delicious homemade cream cheese . You can make your own bread bowl for buy whatever vegan bakery bread you like.

You can serve this dip in a bread bowl, or with a side of bread and veggies for dipping. No matter how you serve it, I promise you are gonna love it!

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Ingredients:

• 1 container of plain vegan cream cheese, or 8 oz of homemade cream cheese

• 2 14 oz cans of artichoke hearts

• 9 oz container of fresh baby spinach

• 1 small/medium yellow onion

• 1/4 cup vegan mayo

• 2 teaspoons of minced garlic

• juice from 1 lemon

• 2 teaspoons all purpose seasoning ( I use Trader Joes 21 season salute)

• 1 teaspoon of salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• OPTIONAL, 1 round loaf of vegan bread to use as a bread bowl

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Instructions:

1. Drain the artichoke hearts and chop them up a bit.

2. Dice the onion and sauté in a medium pan with a teaspoon of oil until it becomes soft, and translucent.

3. Place the spinach in a large microwave safe bowl, and microwave for 2-3 minutes, just long enough for the spinach wilt. Allow the spinach to cool, and place in a clean kitchen towel. Wring out the spinach in the towel to remove as much liquid as you can. Remove spinach form the towel, and chop it up a bit.

4. In a large bowl combine spinach, artichokes, onion, and remaining ingredients. Stir well.

5. Transfer mixture to a medium sized casserole dish, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. You just want it to get nice, and bubbly hot.

6. If you are serving the dip in a bread bowl, but the center out of the bread make a bowl for the dip. Save the scrap bread for dipping. Transfer dip to the bread bowl and serve with extra cut up bread, crackers, or veggies. Otherwise, serve in the dish you baked it in with bread, cracker, or veggies for dipping.