Easy Creamy Artichoke Spread

I won’t take credit for this idea. My sister made it first in her attempt to replicate one of our favorite childhood foods, eggplant salad. The salad was not really a salad but a spread, and we would eat it on slices of white bread with fresh tomatoes. And it was delicious. This creamy artichoke spread resembles in texture, but it’s not the same thing.

At least it is not a lectin bomb!

When I think of it, this dish was a lectin bomb, no wonder we would all feel a little off after eating it, but we all thought this was due to it being too fatty. I remember my mom was always sick after eating it, but she loved it. Not only it contained all the seeds of the mature eggplants, but it was made with the wrong oil, usually sunflower. And since eating all the eggplant seeds was not enough, we were also pairing it with tomatoes.

A healthy artichoke spread recipe

Now back to this creamy spread. Artichoke is a food we should eat often. But to be honest, it isn’t the tastiest thing – for me at least. It has a weird texture, and I never like the marinated artichoke straight from the jar or added to a salad (not even talking about the fresh artichoke, which can be delicious but take some skill and time to prepare).

I’m one of those who doesn’t think artichokes belong on a pizza, for example (haha). But I also believe we should eat even vegetables we are not the fondest of. So I try to find ways to make artichokes taste good.

So what is this spread made of: jarred whole artichoke hearts, avocado mayonnaise, some extra virgin olive oil, finely chopped red onion, garlic, 2 anchovies fillets, and lemon.

It’s a super easy recipe, especially if you already have mayonnaise. You can use Primal Kitchen, which is Plant Paradox compliant, or make your own.

What you would need

• 1 jar of artichokes in water and salt (10oz Net weight)
• 3 tbsps avocado mayonnaise
• 1 small garlic clove
• 3 tbsps finely chopped red onion, previously soaked in ices water
• 1/4 tsp lemon
• 2 anchovies fillets, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt flakes and pepper to taste (if necessary)

How to make creamy artichoke spread

Rinse and drain the artichokes well and squeeze them in a towel to take out as much water as possible.

Add the artichokes to a food processor and mix until well chopped. It was a little difficult for me because this quantity was too small for my processor, so I had to scrap the walls often, but it worked in the end.

Add the chopped onion, mayonnaise, garlic, lemon, and the finely chopped anchovies, and mix again. End with adding some extra virgin olive oil, while the processor runs. Alternatively, you can add some of the olive oil on top at the end. Taste for salt and pepper (Anchovies and mayo might be enough already).

How to use the spread

Since one of the ways to serve it is in lettuce boats, I also thought this spread could make a good replacement for your Plant Paradox Phase 1 menu if you can’t have avocados (skip the olive oil for phase 1).

You can spread it on your lectin-free and gluten-free bread (as a sandwich spread) or use it as a dipping sauce for crackers. It could pair really well with these Flax Seed Crackers with Zaatar Spices. I had it with romaine lettuce boats and with roasted radicchio, and I loved it both ways.

More recipes with artichokes

If you are looking for other ways to use jarred artichokes, these two dip recipes are awesome:

• Cauliflower and Artichoke Hummus with Roasted Garlic
• Artichoke Tapenade with Mixed Olives

*This post contains affiliated links, which means I get a small commission if you choose to purchase something via one of my links, at no extra cost to you.