Of Artichokes and Spinach: Recipe 34 Spinach Artichoke Dip

Oh my heavens, people.  I'm sorry to have put this off for an extra week but lil girl was sick.. sick sick sick.. I'm STILL sick as I type this.  Although I'm hoping that it's going away.

What I heard was allergies, went to a flu, went to a sinus infection, and now is just drainage and more pain.  (Gross) To spare you the details, let me tell you.  As you've read, and maybe forgot.

I LOVE SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP! 

However, the senses that tell me something is yummy or not were not alive and well the night I made this dip, so as for me, I'm about to attempt it again with BFF (who by the way has her own blog now.. check it out - HERE!)  Considering I've not seen BFF in almost three weeks, I'm about to do our regular Tuesday night get together with her tomorrow.  And believe you me - I am not contagious anymore, but even though i feel like crippity right now, I'm hoping that changes tomorrow because even if it doesn't, more dip will be had!

The Jen, however, did say it was delish, and has had seconds (probably thirds) by now.

Let's get this party started.

Before the bake and sans vegan cheese

Saturday came..  not to be confused with Friday where I thought I'd rather cut my head off than deal with it anymore.   Saturday came and I was at least 5% better.  (yeah not a big percentage, I know, but this thing is going in percents now..which SUCKS cuz I'm probably only at 55% better from the beginning.)
I thought I was going to have to have my victim, be the veganizer, but I put on a brave face and threw this baby together, making my own 'mayo' for it as well.

First though - I had to go see my five year old neice off to the senior prom.
(wha?  five year olds at the prom??) Shuddup, she's still 5 to me.

Anyhoo....

It didn't take long, and I was able to actually have dinner ready even before it came out of the oven (which makes no sense, since this is a 'starter'  but I digress).

As a dip, it's not really a quick 'throw together' but it was a fairly easy one, and made leftovers out the wazoo.   We had it with blue corn chips, and warm it seemed like it might taste 'delicious' and Jen said it was, but I still can't say, folks.  I'll have to get back to you on it. 

Ready to dip!

(Of all things, stripping a chef of her sensory yum skills.. what's going on here?)
Ok, well aside from all things sick - I could talk about how I did nothing but ache for days in and out, feel sleepy, feel numb, feel ill.   But we don't want to dwell on that.
Please, if there's anyone out there that cares, - send some more healing vibes my way!

And - considering I don't have a 'real' veganization for this weekend -- we're going to revisit an old one.
Keep it tuned in.   Old veganization coming up in a few days... and in a few days I'm going to be all:  "WOO HOO I'M HEALED!
(sheesh I hope)

Toodles, all!

Music enjoyed while Cooking:   Goldfrapp - Felt Mountain Album

Current Craving:  To feel better

Current Motivation:  To feel better

Don't you dare dip me, PLEASE don't dip me!

Is this how you imagine chips and dip?   I'd think it'd be the other way around.. it's the dip that has the one living animal protien in it. ;)

OHH kay, let's un-politcalize this and move on to what we're really here for..  thine next veganization - recipe 34 - 'cheezy spinach and artichoke dip'.

This is one of my very favorite things to nosh on while waiting for the main course at most eating joints.  However, I find I cannot do this anymore.   It doesn't make me INCREDIBLY sad, because I know that all I have to do is take a walk to my kitchen later on and whip my own vegan recipe of this up, throw some corn chips on it and that makes me richer.  Why?  Because, I've spent no money on the un-vegan kind AND.. it makes me richer with lurve...  and love makes the world go round.

I digress.   What of this cheesy masterpiece?  Where did this goodness start out anyway?

Who the crap knows?
There is nothing on the origin of this yummy stuff.  I just can't figure this out!

Ok, I'll claim it.  Back in the year 1975 - I came out crying "SPINACH, ARTICHOKES, CHEESE, DIP ME IN!"


There you go.  I originated it, some doctor heard it, and copied what I said.. it's been manipulated over the years, but only a VEGAN can perfect it.. and that's what this vegan is going to do.

Me a few years later singing about how I originated the spinach artichoke dip.

Let's look at some numbers:

Spinach Artichoke Dip                                          The 'art of no 'chokin' dip
       1 TBS                                                               2TBS (lookie there)

Calories 162                                                                       140
Total Fat 12.5 g                                                                    5g
Cholesterol 28mg                                                                  0
Sodium 570mg                                                                    428
Total Carbohydrate 6.6g                                                         8.5
Dietary Fiber  2 g                                                                  9.6
Protein         7.3g                                               13.8 (wow! where do i get my protien again?)
WWpts -   4                                                                          3

Well then... look, I can have TWO tablespoons of a vegan dip, as opposed to one of the un-vegan kind, and still not be over my (whatever it is I'm supposed to be watching) for the day.  And don't you ever ask me where I get my protien again, dope.  :P  (just kidding, love, respect, kindness... )

So, the only person I know that loves spinach artichoke dip more than me is...
well, ok, I know lots of people that love it, but the one that REQUESTED to be the victim in this veganization is the girlfriend, and I'll probably bring my crocks and make it at her house (provided she has a working sink, which as of right now isn't looking promising - we may have to wash stuff out in the bathtub - or maybe we'll do this thang at my place.)  I have til Saturday to figure it out.

I'm stoked.
I'm choked.
I am making my world famous (cuz remember, I claimed it) dip.


Dipping begins on my old mans 15th - 4-21.

My birthday Orbs with his aspurragus

Music Enjoyed while blogging:
Pandora - Sheri's Shoobop Station

Current Craving:
Mac and Teese

Current Motivation:
Gettin' my big man to feel better for his birthday!

Recipe 27 - UnCrabo Dipliciouso!

And there she is....

Folks, crabs are weird things.  More specifically they're sea spiders.   Spiders are creepy.  Sea spiders love water.  They'll take over your bathtubs.   Don't invite a crab into your home.   House spiders, ok.  Crabs, no.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest... let's move on to this crabitty crab veganization, shall we?

So, Friday was a busy day for me.   I had (geez, I now don't even know what I did Friday...) OH! Ok, I had to go over to my parents house that night because since I've become uber poor I had to get rid of my DirecTv, meaning, I rely now on a little box for HD to shoot out a few random channels on my television.. which basically means that tv for me SUCKS, so if I want to watch tv I gotta go someplace else.  Now, some show about turning these peoples houses 'Disney' was on, so of course I needed to watch that.   So I invited myself over to my parents house on Friday.  Before that though I needed to make a bread bowl.

And there you have it, on my old burnt up cookie sheet (see how poor I am?  I can't even afford a new cookie sheet and that one is 2098316 years old.)  This was a regular bread recipe, but it was covered in olive oil and spices.. it was SO GOOD.  It made my kitchen smell divine for at least 24 hours later.   I'm not even an olive oil person.
So, this is what created the 'bowl' that I was to put the 'un-crab' dip in.

After creating that, going to my parents house, making a necklace for this girl I'm dating (yes I said it).   And then taking it TO her and having mucho dog love bombarded upon me.. I went home to prepare for the main veganization for the next day.
THE un-crab dip.
(When I say un-crab, i mean OOON Crab.  Gotta say it like that.)

So Saturday, I had a bunch in a half to do and I had to squeeze in yoga and an iron pumping workout as well as cleaning my dirty dirty house.
So, since you could care less about that... let me show you what I made:

OOON CRAB DIPLICIOUSO.





Which was a hit I might add.   I even impressed the 'crab' who was outnumbered by Aquarians!  My un-crab is an amazing substitute for the real thing.  Sometimes I can't believe it's not real myself!  There was a moment that we joked about how un-vegan it might be when I sliced my fingers open with a knife while cutting the bread.. I softened the blood blow, however, by making fun that  you're only a true chef when you bleed on your food.  lol
No blood got on the food..  I made sure of it.   I PROMISE!

And what of dinner?
Well, aside from the 'filet of moocow' apparently being too salty.. (who knows, I didn't have any).  My vegan riblet was yummy.  My potato that wasn't filled with curdled milk and rennet which is an enzyme derived from the fourth stomach chamber of an unweaned ruminant animal (gross much?) was yummy with my vegan butter on it, and the broccoli was lovely.

Great food, good times (I even busted a move as the great king of pop for a while and burned off every calorie I ate, I'm sure!)

So, what's next?
March.. March is GREEN month!
Green, St Patty's day, First Day of Spring...
Green is all around!
(I wish I would come into some extra green.. hhm)


Music enjoyed while blogging:
Subsonic Radio

Current Craving:
Good lord, why do I continue to crave mashed potatoes?

Current Motivation:
Moving right along..  :)

To all the crabs I've loved before....Recipe 27 - Crab Dip

I'd like to dedicate this next one to Mr. Krab, owner of The Krusty Krab.

Why?   

Not because I've ever spent more than 1/2 a second watching Spongebob, but I thought I'd reach out to all of you people that aren't avid Disney fans, and show you there's a whole nother side of me... 

um...

that doesn't watch Spongebob. 

But I have watched Gumball... does that count?!

:D

Mmmok.  Regardless.

I took a small hiatus for last week.  I shouldn't have to give you a reason why, so you aren't getting one.  This does extend my veganizations out a week, but that is ok too because they'll be extended out more when I start running Disney marathons with my sister later this year and early next.   It's all good.  You love me.  In fact, you won't want me to go away when it's finally time for this whole shebang to come to a close!  But that's a while yet.  Instead, let's move on into this last week of February's treat, shall we?

I am making crab dip with olive buttered french bread.

FWAH FWAH… tres Mardi Gras (or not).

For a double date dinner with a freakin' bunch of alien meat eaters!

They are going to be cooking a moo cow.  (oh sigh).  Whatever.. I'm bringing vegan riblets, vegan butter for my potato, and I've asked for asparagus dry... (ahcuz you know I'm going to slather it with something better than cow butter now, dont' you!?)

However.. I'ma take bets that MY crab dip is better than their dead animal any day!

Oh yeah.. oh yeah.. hot girls make hot food.. (er something like that).

Let's do some numbers for this famed crab dip, shall we?

Olive Buttered French Bread w/o egg wash

(This doesn’t change, I’m using a recipe with no egg to begin with)

Calories - 92

Total Fat  - 1

Cholesterol  - 0

Sodium  - 208

Total Carbohydrate - 18

Dietary Fiber  - 1

Protien - 4
ww pts:   3 

Crab Dip                                Un-Crabo Dipliciouso

                          svg size 2 tbs

Calories – 85                                                   60

Total Fat  - 7                                                     2

Cholesterol  - 30                                               0

Sodium  - 125                                                  83

Total Carbohydrate – 1.5                                  1.0

Dietary Fiber  - 1                                                1

Protien – 3                                                        2
ww pts:  2                                                         1

Yum.

All I have to say is... I dunno how this night is going to begin or end, but I know it's going to be delicious in between thanks to me!  (Someone's gotta toot her own horn, considering she’s the only vegan in the bunch!)

So, keep your eyes here.  It all unfolds, Saturday night.

Music enjoyed while blogging:

Subsonic Radio 5k

Current Craving

Mac and Teese

Current Motivation

Getting things done that I've put off