Creamy dips make excellent party appetizers. They can be served in bowls with tortilla chips nearby, so guests can dip the chips into the bowls. Another serving suggestion is to spread the dip on toasted slices of French baguettes, garnished with small dices of red and yellow bell peppers or with halves of cherry tomatoes and parsley leaves. These nice mini-sandwiches will make your guests love your cooking talent and want to get invited by you more often. Yes, sometimes a simple spinach artichoke dip can do what other charms can't.

Ingredients:

• 10 ounces artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
• 10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed, chopped and very well drained
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (you can replace it with low-fat mayonnaise)
• 1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt
• 1 cup Mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 4 small packs (4 ounces) of cream cheese
• Salt, pepper

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 8

How to cook the creamy spinach artichoke dip:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and blend them until they become a paste. Beware that sometimes canned artichokes can have a strange flavor, so it’s always best to rinse them well and drain them before use, especially if you’re not going to bake the dip. Even if you do, you can still rinse the artichoke hearts, as it won’t take you long anyway. Pour the blend in a casserole, cover it and cook it in the oven (preheated at 350 F) for 25-30 minutes. Serve it with carrot or celery sticks, or with any other dipping such as toast, chips or sliced pita bread. You can refrigerate the dip and serve it the next day.

Going vegan is probably a tough decision for some people. This can be noticed in the way they always seem to miss the tastes they knew from before, thus trying to re-create them in many vegan dishes they cook. This artichoke spinach dip recipe tastes like the normal ones which include at least one kind of cheese, thanks to the smart mix of ingredients and flavors.

Ingredients:

• 16 ounce frozen spinach, thawed, drained and chopped
• 1 jar of marinated artichoke hearts (in normal dips, canned artichokes will do, but in this case, the marinated ones are better because they already come with the flavors of the oils and spices in the marinade)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 small red onion, diced small
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (can be replaced with garlic powder, but freshly minced garlic is always better)
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Dip preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves: 6-8

How To Cook It:

Saute the onion and the garlic in olive oil for 2-3 minutes, at low heat, stirring continuously. You can add a little liquid from the marinated artichokes. Then add the artichoke hearts cut in average pieces, together with the lemon juice, salt and pepper and let them cook for 2-3 more minutes, stirring gently. Start adding the spinach little by little, and when you’re done, cover the saucepan and let it cook for 5 more minutes, then add the basil and the oregano.

Serving tips: serve the dip hot, with dippings of your choice such as toasted bread or celery sticks. For festive occasions, you can top the bowl with breadcrumbs or with vegan Parmesan and with cherry tomatoes and black olives cut in halves or in quarters.