Guilt-Free Spinach Artichoke Dip

I am soooooo excited the third season of  Bethenny Ever After, starts tonight. I love her. She is my idol. I know what you are thinking, but get over it! I love her… Now lets move on and get to the important portion of this post… The eats. In honor of Bethenny’s season premier, I thought I would post one of her healthy, yet still delowcious meals. Well really it is supposed to be an appetizer, but I could definitely eat spinach artichoke dip for dinner. Couldn’t you? Now you don’t have to feel guilty for doing it. Want to make it a skinny day all around? Check out Bethenny’s Skinny Girl Margarita recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 package (about 9 ounces) frozen artichokes, defrosted and drained
• 1 package (about 9 ounces) frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• ¼ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• ¼ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 8 ounces reduced-fat or soy cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons nondairy or low-fat mayonnaise
• ½ tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 dashes Tabasco sauce

Directions

Don’t worry about exact amounts for this recipe. If you can only find artichokes or spinach in slightly smaller or larger amounts, that’s fine. In this recipe, frozen is actually better than fresh because the softer texture works better for dip, so take the easy way.

Defrost the vegetables in the refrigerator overnight, then drain them a colander in the sink or over a bowl. You can drain them together in the same colander because they’ll get mixed together anyway, and that makes fewer things to wash. After they are drained, press on them with paper towels to get rid of any extra moisture that would dilute the dip’s flavor.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine all the ingredients except 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese into a large bowl or into a food processor. Blend or pulse until mostly smooth but leave some artichoke chunks for texture.

Pour the mixture into an oven-proof dish or casserole. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until heated through and just starting to bubble.

Remove from the oven and let it cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve hot or warm with thin slices of baguette, raw vegetables, baked tortilla chips, or crackers.

Notes: Want to try Bethenny’s Skinny Girl Margaritas? CLICK HERE to get the recipe!

• Source: Bethenny Frankel
• Recipe Yields: 6 servings

Super Bowl Menu

First the Saints lost… Then Houston lost… Then my last resort 49ers lost… It is official, I don’t care about the Super Bowl. However, that does not mean I can’t still have people over to watch and care about what I am serving. The Hubby is having some friends over tomorrow, and I have invited one of my girlies to come keep me company, so it should be a fun time. Now its time to come up with a Super Bowl menu that is sure to score touchdowns. Oh jeez, that was bad. Sorry, but I could not resist. I will try to refrain from the cornyness from here on out. Now on to the eats…

Wow, that might be way too much food for 4-5 people… Hmmm I may have to pare it down a tad. We already have the wings, so they are a for sure. I am thinking a 7-Eleven Layer dip and the spinach dip will go nicely. Maybe I will make the whoopie pies for dessert. If not, I have a cake mold in the shape of a stadium… I might have to make an actual Super Bowl cake. What do you think? I am thinking yes!

Click below for the recipes…

1. Buffalo Chicken Wings // 2. Spinach Dip // 3. 7-Eleven Layer Dip // 4. Queso // 5. Bite Size Tilapia Fish Tacos // 6. Football Whoopie Pies

Italian Cheese Fondue

One of the fabulous things about getting married is you get fun wedding gifts that you would never buy for yourself otherwise. For example, the Hubby was very excited about registering for our fondue set. Ok ok, I was excited too, but I am way more excited now that I found this awesome Italian Cheese recipe on the Food Network. Check it out!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces grated Fontina
• 8 ounces grated Gruyere
• 5 teaspoons cornstarch
• 6 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped
• 2 cups dry white wine (such as Pinot Grigio)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• Bite-size pieces of focaccia, sliced salami, fresh fennel, Belgian endive, steamed broccoli florets and asparagus spears, for dipping

Directions

Toss the Fontina and Gruyere cheese with the cornstarch in a medium bowl to coat. Saute the pancetta in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat until crisp and golden, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a plate. Pour off any excess oil. Pour the wine into the same saucepan and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to medium. Whisk 1 handful of the cheese mixture into the wine until it is almost melted. Repeat with the remaining cheese mixture in about 4 more batches. Continue whisking until the cheese is completely melted and the fondue bubbles, about 1 minute. Stir in all but 2 tablespoons of the pancetta. Season the fondue with pepper, to taste.

Transfer the cheese mixture to a fondue pot. Sprinkle with the remaining pancetta and chives. Set the pot over a candle or a canned heat burner. Serve with focaccia and vegetables.

• Source: Giada De Laurentiis
• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 20 min
• Total Time: 35 min
• Recipe Yields: 6 servings

Frank’s Red Hot Recipes

Buffalo Chicken WIngs

Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

Buffalo Sliders

Buffalo Chicken Wrap

Buffalo Bean Dip

I LOVE Frank’s Red Hot Sauce and everything it has to offer, so of course I LOVE recipes that include Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. I already posted one of my fave party pleasing recipes, Buffalo Chicken Dip, which got me wondering what else is out there in the world of Frank’s Red Hot Recipes. Check them out!

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients

• 4 medium ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• ½ cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 chile peppers, mild or hot, seeded and finely chopped (I used jalapeno)
• 2 tablespoon chopped bell pepper
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves (no stems)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

In a medium sized bowl, combine all ingredients and allow to sit so the flavors can marry.

• Recipe Yields: 4 servings

Chipotle Guacamole

Ingredients

• 2 Hass Avocados
• ½ of a Jalapeno pepper, seeded, and minced
• ¼ of a red onion, finely chopped
• 2 heaping Tablespoons of Cilantro, finely chopped
• ¼ of a lime, juiced
• ¼ of a lemon, juiced
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients into a bowl, and mash together until smooth. Add additional lime juice or salt to taste. For extra spicy guacamole, you can leave in the jalepeno seeds!

Batch Recipe Directions:

Remove stems and stickers from 48 avocados, wash for two minutes. Cut avocados in half, remove pit, scrape out the good stuff.

Mash avocados in large mixing bowl. You don’t have to get it to the final consistency yet, but it’s easier if they’re at least partially mashed at this point.

Now for the other ingredients. Add 2 ½ cups cilantro, 2 ½ cups chopped red onions, ½2 cup chopped jalapeno, ½ cup lemon-lime juice, and 3 tablespoons of salt. Continue mashing until smooth.

When you go to store the guac, put a layer of plastic wrap directly on the guac and squeeze the air out, then put another layer of plastic over whatever container you’re using. This keeps the guac from oxidizing and turning all brown. Depending on how long you keep it in the fridge, the top might turn brown anyway, so just skim off the top layer before serving.

Notes: This recipe is an approximation based on the original Chipotle recipe below. Please use it as a base for your guacamole creation, and feel free to make improvements based on your own personal preferences.

• Recipe Yields: 1 serving

Avocado Cream Dip

Ingredients

• 1 container non-fat plain greek yogurt
• 2 small avocados
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• juice of one lime
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon cayenne

Directions

In a food processor, add all ingredients. Blend until combined. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Notes: Tastes great with Tilapia Fish Tacos or Homemade Baked Corn Chips!

• Source: Pardon The Dog Hair

Texas Caviar

Ingredients

• 1 bag frozen corn
• 1 large can petite diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed (sometimes I add 2 cans if I want it tomato heavy)
• 1 small can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 red onion
• 2-4 cloves of garlic
• cilantro to taste
• green onion
• lime juice to taste
• JALAPENOS IF YOU LIKE A KICK
• BLACK EYED PEAS IF IT’S NEW YEARS EVE

Directions

Mix it all together in a bowl and adjust flavors to your liking. Be sure to make it a day in advance so all the flavors have time to join together and marry. SUPER SIMPLE!!!

• Recipe Yields: Party Size

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients

• 2-3 chicken breasts (or store bought oven-roasted whole chicken)
• 1 bottle (12 oz) Franks Buffalo Wing Hot Sauce
• 16 oz tub Philly Cream cheese (softened)
• 1 jar (12 oz) Maries Chunky Blue Cheese dressing
• 2 cups shredded Swiss or cheddar cheese (or combination of both)

Directions

Cook chicken then shred with a fork. Can be boiled, grilled or oven baked. Doesn’t require a lot of seasoning as the other ingredients make the dip quite flavorful.

In the following order, layer the ingredients in a baking dish:

1. Chicken
2. Franks Buffalo Wing Hot sauce
3. Softened cream cheese
4. Marie’s Chunky Blue Cheese dressing
5. Top with shredded cheeses

Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until desired cheesyness. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers and/or celery sticks.

Notes: I have also heard of people coating the backing dish with cream cheese and then mixing the Blue Chees, Hot Sauce and Chicken seperately before placing it in the backing dish… Either way works, because it all melts together in the long run.

• Source: Me
• Prep Time: 10min
• Cook Time: 1hr
• Total Time: 1hr 10min
• Recipe Yields: Party Size