Spinach Artichoke Snack Spread ( with roasted garlic farmer cheese and crispy garlic paprika olive oil).

If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, then a good snack is the most important in between meal of the day.

If like me, your day starts anytime between 5am and 6:15am, your breakfast is minimal, because you’re not ready for an actual sit down meal until later.

This recipe and post is sponsored by our family’s favorite farmer cheese and kefir, Lifeway!

This is light and flavorful enough to keep me going until lunch when my day begins extra early.

What is a snack?

Kind of a strange question, but, really, what is it? officially?

A snack is something you eat between meals, and depending on your caloric needs, is recommended to be between 150-200 calories and a way to keep from over eating or reaching for empty calories.

Half a cup of farmer cheese is 160 calories. This snack is satisfying at 1/4 of a cup because it includes artichokes, spinach and a drizzle of flavorful garlic, shallot, paprika and nigella seed olive oil.

A single snack serving would include 1 artichoke heart, quartered, over a creamy spinach and garlic farmer cheese and is about 200 calories. It is a denser snack for busier days or absolutely delicious as a lunch over a baked potato or toast.

Also, FWIW, FYI:

This could be a sharable dip or part of a light lunch. It’s pretty versatile and once all the elements are prepped its a grab and go situation.

Farmer Cheese Facts:

Lifeway Farmer Cheese is naturally 99% lactose free/

PACKED with protein, 13g per half cup serving.

A good source or potassium, calcium and 12 live and active probiotics.

Ingredients:

Roasted Garlic Spinach Spread

16oz Lifeway Farmer Cheese

1 whole head of garlic, roasted

1/4 cup cooked spinach (fresh or frozen) with excess water squeezed out

1 bag frozen halved or quartered artichoke hearts

1 tbsp neutral oil

Salt to taste

Smokey Garlic, Shallot, Paprika Oil

6 tbsp olive oil

1 whole small shallots, sliced

2 garlic cloves sliced

4 sprigs parsley

1 tsp nigella seeds

1 tsp smoked paprika

Salt

Method:

1. Roast Garlic

Airfryer method:

Slice off and remove the hat ( the pointed end of a garlic bulb). Place over foil, drizzle oil and salt. Crumple foil covering the top of garlic and place on lower rack of an airfryer. Cook at 350F for 15minutes.

2. Roast Artichokes

Place frozen artichokes onto an airfryer safe tray or oven safe sheet. Coat lightly with neutral oil and salt.

Airfry at 375F for 9 minutes or bake at 400F for 10minutes.

3. Blanch 1 bunch or thaw densely packed 1/4 cup spinach.

*if using frozen spinach, give it a quick dip in salted boiling water to remove any possible freezer taste.

4. Combine and blend farmer cheese, spinach and roasted garlic until smooth.

5. Into a small sauce pan, add 6 tbsp olive oil. Into the cold oil add sliced shallot and salt and heat slowly until fragrant and just browing. Just before the shallots brown fully, add sliced garlic, paprika.

To avoid burning remove the oil just before garlic is fully brown or crisp. The oil will continue to cook both the shallots and garlic. To this hot oil add nigella and parsley.

Spread farmer cheese on plate, top with artichokes and a swish of oil.

Enjoy with chips, on toast, over a potato, crackers or just with a spoon!

Made it? Let me know below!