Party Dish #1

All right, all cookied out? No? Me neither, in fact I am not entirely sure it's possible to be such a thing. However, I did actually get candied out this weekend. We had gone to Lori's Christmas party for work and it was a candy exchange and ended up bringing home to wholly addictive things: caramel corn and peanut butter balls with pretzels. Both came from her friend Rachel's kitchen and were WAY too damn good.

I looked at Lori last night over my handful of caramel corn and announced, "You can keep some of this candy for you, but I have to get it out of the house." It was a bit of a frustrating moment. To know I had come so far and was still staring down an old demon.

But you'll be proud to know, I did the right thing, I brought it all to work. Maxwell took the corn home to his 13 year old son and I passed the candies out one at a time, as not to overload anyone. I hate to be a food pusher, but seriously, it HAD to leave my house. My plan regarding self-respect needs to include honesty, sometimes I don't care enough to keep my hand out of the bag. I have to work on that.

Now, on to this week's project: Healthier options for party events. Whether it's an office potluck, a friend's buffet or an event at your place, finding healthier options can be hard. I am going to find you easy, tasty and yes, healthy versions of the classics.

Today, it's one of my all time favorites and it leaves out the ingredient I hate anyway - mayonnaise. Greek yogurt is the perfect substitute and oh so healthy.

Thick and Creamy Artichoke-Spinach Dip, with Big Pretzels

Ingredients:
1 (14-1/2 oz.) can quartered or whole artichoke hearts in water, drained
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 (7 oz.) tub 2% fat Greek style yogurt, such as Fage or Trader Joe's
¾ cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
2 tablespoons light sour cream
1/8 teaspoon each: salt, freshly ground black pepper and freshly ground nutmeg
2 cups baby carrots or large carrot chips (packaged in the produce section)
1 head Belgian endive, end trimmed, separated into leaves
16 pretzel rods

Preparation:

Heat oven to 400°F.

Finely chop the artichoke hearts and place them in a medium bowl. Add spinach, yogurt, ½ cup of the cheese, sour cream, pepper and nutmeg.

Mix well and spread into a 9-inch pie plate or quiche dish. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup cheese over dip and bake 20 minutes or until heated through.

Serve warm or at room temperature with carrots, endive leaves and pretzels for dipping.

Substitutions:

Baked pita chips or Kashi crackers may replace the pretzel rods if you prefer.

Nutritional Analysis:
Servings: 8 (Makes about 3 cups dip)

Total fat (g): 3
Fat calories (kc): 32
Cholesterol (mg): 8
Trans fatty acids (g): 0
Saturated fat (g): 2
Polyunsaturated fat (g): 0
Monounsaturated fat (g): 1
Fiber (g): 2.5
Carbohydrates (g): 24
Sugar (g): 4
Protein (g): 10
Sodium (mg): 580
Calcium (mg): 160

Mmm, this one is coming out for the next football game. This came from ChefMD, by the way.

Yours in healthy, Kate