It's got to be quick and it's got to be good - it also has to please teenagers and adults alike, as well as offering the healthy variety of veggies into their diet.One of the easy ways to get my crew to eat spinach is to hide it in a dip. Served with tortilla chips, my entire family will eat this side dish/appetizer and not only am I sneaking spinach into their diets, but it's so incredibly fast that I can whip it up and have it baking within minutes while I make the rest of the meal. I admit that I like to eat it as a 'side dish' as well - no tortilla's needed! This one calls for black pepper, which I don't typically add. It also has a lower-fat base to it, using fat-free sour cream and 1/3 fat cream cheese. You can substitute a 1/2 block of fat-free in place of the cream cheese called for but I wouldn't use a full block of fat-free as it won't set up as well.
Another Spinach Artichoke Dip
2 c (8 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 c fat-free sour cream
1/4 c (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 t black pepper
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
8 block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 (10-oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
Tortilla Chips to serve with it
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, sour cream, 2 tablespoons Parmesan and the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl; stir until well blended. Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve with tortilla chips.
