The Ingredients In This Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip Help Support Longevity
When you're snacking on dips at a Super Bowl party (or any other time for that matter), you might not be thinking about how they're affecting your cellular health. But if you knew that the ingredients in that food promote a natural process in your body called methylation—therefore supporting your cardiovascular, neurological, and detox systems, along with promoting longevity—you'd probably go in for another scoop.
This yummy, creamy (thanks to the soaked cashews) plant-based dip means you can bring a methylation-friendly appetizer to a party—or keep it just for yourself. The artichokes make this a high-fiber feast that feels like a super-satisfying dish.
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Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe
6 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes, plus
Cook time: 20 minutes (1 serving = presoak time for the cashews about ¾ cup)
Methyl donors: cashews, garlic, spinach, artichokes
DNA methylation adaptogens: cashews, garlic, lemon, spinach, artichokes, extra-virgin olive oil
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Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, presoaked for 2 hours in ⅔ cup water, soaking liquid reserved
- 4 large cloves garlic
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 4 cups packed fresh spinach
- 2 (14-ounce) cans artichoke hearts, packed in water, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Using a high-powered blender or food processor, blend the cashews with half of their soaking liquid until you have a completely smooth cashew cream.
- Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until desired dip consistency. You may need to scrape the sides down intermittently and add more of the soaking liquid to keep the dip creamy.
- Transfer to an oven-safe dish and bake until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Serve with the "Everything" Seed Crackers, Rosemary and Sea Salt Crackers, or vegetable crudites.
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Nutritional breakdown:
(for the dip only, not including the crackers)
- Fat: 58.9%
- Carb: 32.2%
- Protein: 8.9%
- Calories: 334.2 kcal
- Fat: 22.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 29.1 g
- Fiber: 10.5 g
- Sugar: 3.5 g
- Protein: 10.2 g
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Excerpted from Younger You: Reduce Your Bio Age and Live Longer, Better by Kara N. Fitzgerald, N.D. Copyright © 2022. Available from Hachette Go, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Kara Fitzgerald, N.D., IFMCP, is the first-ever recipient of the Emerging Leadership Award from the Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute in recognition of her work on DNA methylation. She received her doctorate in naturopathic medicine from the National University of Natural Medicine, she lectures globally on functional medicine, is on the faculty at the Institute for Functional Medicine(IFM), and is an IFM Certified Practitioner with a clinical practice in Newtown, Connecticut.
She runs a Functional Medicine Clinic Immersion program for professionals and hosts the podcast New Frontiers in Functional Medicine. Fitzgerald is also actively engaged in clinical research on the DNA methylome using a diet and lifestyle intervention developed in her practice. Her first study was published in the journal Aging. She has published a consumer book, Younger You, and an application-based program, 3YY, based on the study. She lives with her daughter in Connecticut.