Vegan Kale & Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

• 1 can artichoke hearts, drained
• ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup (cooked) chickpeas, plus more to put on top
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• juice of ½ a small lemon
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast (not baking yeast, see notes)
• 2-3 leaves of kale, chopped
• tiny bit of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• salt, pepper
• slices of toasted bread
• extra chickpeas
• optional: quick pickled onions (recipe in this post)
• a few pinches of red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Place HALF the artichoke hearts in the blender, coarsely chop the rest and set aside. To the blender add the sunflower seeds, water, chickpeas, garlic, mustard, lemon, nutritional yeast, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Blend until creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings.
2. In a small skillet, cook the chopped kale in a little bit of olive oil (with a pinch of salt) until wilted. Set aside.
3. Transfer dip to a bowl and stir in remaining chopped artichoke hearts, the cooked kale and chives. (Taste again). Chill until ready to serve.
4. Serve the dip by itself with crackers or toasted pita wedges - or make crostini with a few extra toppings: Add some more olive oil to your skillet and cook the chickpeas until lightly browned. Top each toast with a slather of dip, some extra cooked kale, roasted chickpeas, pickled onions (optional), and a pinch of red pepper flakes.