Recipe: HOLIDAY SERIES: LIGHTER, YET STILL CREAMY & CHEESY SPINACH DIP

This traditional holiday appetizer can wreck your lightened up holiday plate due to the huge amount of saturated fat and calories (coming from the full-fat cheese, mayo and sour cream). Substituting lower calorie versions and adding in artichokes and lots of spinach will help lighten this dish yet still preserve the flavor. Serve with baked tortilla chips, or whole grain pita crisps or better yet, raw veggies!

Food weight: 1.0

INGREDIENTS:

Yield: 5 ½ cups (serving size: ¼ cup)

·         ½ cup fat-free sour cream

·         ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese

·         ½ tsp black pepper

·         3 fresh garlic cloves, crushed

·         1 can (14 oz) water-packed artichoke hearts (drained and chopped)

·         8 oz. block light cream cheese

·         8 oz. block fat-free cream cheese

·         16 oz. bag frozen cut leaf spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

·         Non-stick cooking spray

·         8 oz. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 ºF. Combine all ingredients listed above mozzarella cheese and stir until well blended. Spoon mixture into 1 ½ qt. casserole dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 40 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

Nutritional Information per Serving (1/4 cup):
Food weight: 1.0, Calories: 90, Fat: 4 g, Cholesterol: 10 mg, Sodium: 330 mg,
Carbohydrate: 5 g, Dietary Fiber: 1 g, Protein: 8 g