HOT ARTICHOKE DIP
This is dip that hearkens back to the 70s. When people were groovy and all foods contained mayonnaise.
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 can of artichoke hearts
Make sure the artichokes are not marinated...just packed in water or something.
Yes, there are only 4 ingredients. And yes, two of the four items are things I find repulsive. But we move ahead, certain that transformation will occur during the baking process.
First, drain the artichokes. I chopped them a bit more, removing the base so that the leaves could separate. I believe you COULD skip that, and leave them in their giant chunky glory. Then simply mix all the ingredients together.Did you preheat your oven? Well, you should have. 350 degrees. ALL foods were cooked at 350 in the 70s. Either it baked in the oven at 350 or it was fondue. Those were your two options.
Now place the mixture in something that goes in the oven. I'm using a glass pie pan here, because I JUST used my other pan for Baked Tacos and I don't want readers of this blog to think I only have one pan. Vain. Very vain.Bake at 350 for 25+ minutes. There should be bubbling and it may look like your dip is floating in a pool of grease. BECAUSE IT IS! Remove dip from the oven and serve with Triscuits. In theory, you COULD eat this dip with other crackers, but during my childhood it was only served with Triscuits, so I view any other dipper as sacrilegious.
Being forced to look at this dip with an objective eye...I have to give it 4 out of 6 cheese wedges. To be entirely honest, it IS greasy, and I found that the mayo "broke" a little bit during cooking. But the killing blow is the fact that a serving contains over 450 calories, without any crackers. And that is the case even when the serving size is quite paltry. But if you are looking for dip that will go with shag carpeting, you cannot go wrong.
SKINNY SPINACH DIP
Spinach dip is one of those dips that opens the door for eating as much as you want simply because there is spinach right there in the title. I usually station myself very close to it at any party where this is being served. Sometimes even mention it isn't very good, simply so that there is a higher percentage for my own intake. And no I don't feel bad about that. Spinach dip served in a breadbowl with wedges of crusty bread for dipping makes my mouth water. I will admit that I have only ever purchased spinach dip from the deli or some other premade spinach dip, so I didn't actually know what was in it. Who am I to reinvent the wheel? Enter fiet.....In my daily scan of online recipes (yes daily), I came across a Spinach Dip recipe that said 1/2 Cup of it was only 100 calories....what's this? A dip where I can have more than a Tablespoon as a serving? Finally! And then I started reading the ingredients and I became a little skeptical of this "dip". Of course I am not nearly as organized as Jane and didn't take any ingredient pictures. But I think subconsciously I did it on purpose because the first thing I thought when I was buying them was, "ummmm....no thanks". However it was my duty as a snack buddy to push through my skepticism and make the dip anyway.
Ingredients:
1 package of frozen spinach chopped (usually these are 10 oz)
1 packet of Knorr's vegetable soup/dip mix
8 oz of light sour cream
8 oz of non-fat plain Greek Yogurt
8 oz of low-fat plain Greek Yogurt
5 oz can of sliced water chestnuts (chopped into tiny pieces and actually I only used half)
See what I mean about the ingredients? All I could think about was the lack of mayonaisse in this recipe and how could any dip call itself a dip without it? ESPECIALLY since even the Knorr's vegetable soup/dip mix has mayo in the original recipe. But I pressed on.
Also....water chestnuts....I can't. The flavorless crunch? The slime? I am shuttering at the flashbacks of trying one as I mixed together all of these ingredients. I have to wonder what they look like in their natural/non-canned form. And the Christmas song referring to Chestnuts roasting on an open fire....was there a shortage of marshmallows? Why would you stoop to chestnuts? Was that the only food left in the entire city? Although, I am hoping there is a dramatic difference between chestnuts and water chestnuts. And because I have no experience with them, I claim chestnut ignorance. No offense if you like these slices of flavorless calories. I mean just look at them...
First, and most importantly, thaw the spinach and drain out all of the liquid. This needs more than just a strainer...this needs some muscle. I find it easiest to put it in a paper towel and squeeze it out. Then mix together all of the ingredients and let sit in the fridge until all of the flavors have melded together (or per the recipe, 2 hours). This will make about 4 cups or so. I waited over night because I had already planned on using my remaining calories for the day on Baked Tacos.
My first taste of this dip was with a Triscuit, because as Jane mentioned, they are the best vehicle for dipping. And I was pleasantly surprised. There is a slight hint of yogurty taste, but nothing like what I had expected. Then I moved to the vegetables: Carrots and Celery. Immediately I was disappointed. All I could taste was the vegetable. It was like there was something sucking the flavor out of the spinach dip between being on my plate and me taking a bite. And isn't the main purpose of dip to hide the taste of the vegetable you are eating it with? So back to the triscuits we went. I also tried this with bread and it was a big improvement. Although the triscuits were my favorite.
When it comes to scoring, I admit I am torn. Based on quantity per serving, I would give it 5 out of 6 wedges because it was 106 calories for 1/2 cup. Based on flavor, independant of any dipping vehicles, I would give this a 3 out of 6 wedges. Based on flavor with triscuits or bread, a 4 out of 6. But I admit I am biased towards the real deal. So I am going to land on a 4 out of 6 and just plan to always serve it with triscuits or bread. It was super easy to make and although it may add some calories, I may try to impart some mayo in the next time I make it. Just to see what happens. But here is a link to the original if you are interested: Pinterest Link
I think we would both be interested to hear which dip you would make or would lean towards so let us know!
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