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Since corn is avoided in the elimination phase of the Autoimmune Protocol, it can be hard to get a source of artichoke hearts (commercially jarred or canned varieties use corn in the form of citric acid as a preservative). That means if you are going to enjoy artichokes, you need to prepare them yourself! This used to be a bit of a chore, but now that the Instant Pot is a reality, you can have fully cooked artichokes in under 20 minutes.
In this recipe, I’ve recreated a classic spinach and artichoke heart dip using fresh-cooked artichokes as well as coconut yogurt. I’ve used both commercially available brands GT’s CocoYo and CoYo in this recipe and they work equally as well. You might notice I cook the vegetables first and don’t bake the dip once the ingredients come together — this is to preserve the probiotic content of the yogurt.
I like to use the freshly-cooked artichoke leaves to eat with this dip, but if you are in a crunchier mood, you can try pairing it with these Garlic-Rosemary Plantain Crackers. Enjoy!
- Place the water in the bottom of your Instant Pot and arrange the artichokes, cut side up on the steaming rack. Close and lock the lid and cook on Manual High Pressure for 12 minutes. When the timer goes off, use the quick release method to release the pressure and allow to cool. (Alternatively, you could steam your artichokes on the stovetop for about 45 minutes, or until the leaves come off easily).
- While the artichokes are cooking, place the solid cooking fat in the bottom of a skillet on medium heat. When the fat is melted and the pan is hot, add the onions, and cook, stirring, for about 4 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spinach in batches and stir until all wilted and cooked, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a medium bowl to cool.
- When the artichokes have cooled enough to handle, remove and discard the toughest outer leaves. When you get to the tender leaves, reserve them for eating with the dip later. Work your way until you get to the fuzzy "thistle" part of the artichoke. Cut it in half, top to bottom, and then remove the fuzzy bits from the inside, being careful to preserve as much of the heart (soft inner bits) as possible. Once you have done this for both hearts, mince them and add them to the rest of the vegetables.
- Add the olive oil, lemon juice, coconut yogurt, nutritional yeast, and sea salt, and stir to combine.
21 comments
I don’t have a pressure cooker, but I do have flash frozen artichoke hearts. How much would I need instead of starting from the 2 whole artichokes?
Hi Rachel! I would use about 2 cups chopped, and see if the mixture looks like it could use more.
thanks
Any suggestions on substitutions for the coconut yogurt? Coconut doesn’t agree with me. Thank you!
Hi Virginie! I would not try this recipe without coconut yogurt. I have a beet dip here on the site that doesn’t use coconut – maybe try that one instead!
What coconut yogurt do you recommend?
I like CoYo the best, but it isn’t always available in my area!
If you’re not in the elimination phase of AIP and you can do almonds, I used almond milk yogurt (couldn’t find coconut milk yogurt) when I made this for Christmas parties and everyone loved it — even “gotta be dairy” people.
[…] Probiotic Spinach Artichoke Dip from Autoimmune Wellness *Mickey uses fresh artichokes for this dip – a favorite for upcoming parties! […]
Which brand of nutritional yeast do you use? Most brands are fortified with synthetic B vitamins. I’ve only found one brand that isn’t, Sari brand, but it is produced in a facility that also processes wheat. I have celiac and I’m so sensitive that I notice symptoms when I eat this. Mickey, I know you have celiac too so I’m hoping you can direct me to a safe brand. Thank you.
Hi Margo! I use Bob’s Red Mill, which is indeed fortified, but completely gluten-free and made from sugar beets. Hope it helps!
I bought a non-fortified, organic “batch tested for gluten free” one on Amazon (Anthony’s Premium Nutritional Yeast Flakes, 10oz, Non Fortified, Batch Tested Gluten Free, Non GMO). It’s pricey at $11.99 for a 10 oz bag, but worth it to me. A little goes a long way.
I absolutely love Raw Worlds raw Nutritional Yeast.
I’m so missing my spinach, sweet potatoes, beets, chard, chocolate, almonds and cinnamon. I had to go on a low oxalate diet aftet having too many of these high oxalate foods in my AIP/ Paleo diet. 🙁 I would love it, Mickey if you did a blog post/article on oxalates!
Hi! I’m sorry you are finding oxalates troublesome for you… to be honest, I have not found many folks to be truly sensitive to them and don’t want to panic people any more about additional foods to avoid. Sarah Ballantyne has a great article here: https://www.thepaleomom.com/oxalate-sensitivity-real/
Hello, could you please advise what I could substitute for nutritional yeast? I’m allergic to it. Thank you
Hi Kylie! I think this recipe would work fine without the nutritional yeast, you just might want to add some more salt to taste.
Can I use canned artichokes?
Gordeen, you can, but they usually contain citric acid, which is derived from corn and not compliant with the elimination phase of AIP.
I’ve made this recipe before and it’s delicious. I’d like to make a large batch and freeze snack-sized portions. Do you think that could work or would you not recommend it? Thank you!
Hi Jen! I don’t recommend freezing because of the probiotic dip – I’m not completely sure, but I think the texture might not thaw well.