I love dips. I could just eat them with a spoon and forget the chips – are you like that? YUM! But often they are so chock full of calories that they go directly to my hips ! So here is a lower calorie recipe that works well. Kids LOVE to make this since it feels like ‘cooking’ and is so easy. Here are some fresh Artichokes – the canned hearts are easier to use in this dip but not as pretty so I decided to put this picture in here rather than those!
Spinach Artichoke dip
Use a cup of sun dried tomatoes (we use ours since we make our own every summer when the farm is overflowing with roma tomatoes) or put bought ones into boiling water, let them plump up and then drain and add at the end.
Ingredients:
- 1 (14-ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
- 1 (8-ounce) tub light cream cheese, softened
- 1 (8-ounce) carton low-fat sour cream
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cup fat-free milk
- 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
Directions:
- Place artichokes and next 11 ingredients (through garlic) in a 3 1/2-quart electric slow cooker; stir well. The children can do this easily.
- Cover with lid; cook on low-heat setting 1 hour.
- Drain sun dried tomatoes; stir into dip. The children can do this too.
- Cover and cook 1 hour.
- Serve warm with toasted pita wedges or for an extra low calorie starter – use freshly cut veggies such as carrots, broccoli florets and jicama slices.
