RECIPE | REDUCED GUILT SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE DIP

I had been craving Spinach and Artichoke Dip for weeks and having leftover crackers from a wine and cheese night with the girls, I decided to try my hand at a healthier alternative.  I traded sour cream for non-fat Greek yogurt, 2% low-fat milk mozzarella cheese and low fat whipped cream cheese.  The experiment turned out quite impressively and my roommate could not even tell that I had swapped some of the traditional ingredients.  This recipe is very simple, great for those on the go or don't want to purchase too many ingredients.  For a party, I would top with parmesan cheese, but seeing that I don't cook with parmesan much, I decided to double duty the mozzarella.

Nutrition Fast Facts:

Artichoke: one of the top ten highest antioxidant-rich foods

Spinach: rich in carotenoids, vitamin K, and anti-inflammatory flavonoids

Ingredients:

• 2 cups low fat mozzarella cheese, grated 
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• pinch of black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 8 oz. package of low fat cream cheese
• 3 heaping handfuls of spinach, blanched
• 1 8 oz. package of frozen artichoke
• optional: dried onion flakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl, setting aside 1/4 cup of mozzarella for the topping (can also use grated parmesan).  Optional: add a few sprinkles of dried onion flakes for flavor. 

3. Pour into a 9x9 inch square pan.

4. Bake on middle rack for 20 minutes, move to top rack for remaining 10 minutes.  The top cheese layer should be golden brown. 

5. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips and enjoy your reduced guilt dip!