Super Bowl Sunday Delicious Dip

I'm currently on my lunch break - I made my salad and now I'm back at my desk.

I decided to check out Rachael Ray's Weekly Newsletter which appeared in my inbox this morning. This week she is focusing on 5 Super Bowl Dips- one of which is a Spinach Artichoke Dip (SAD). After looking at her recipe I came to the conclusion, based on the ingredients, the SAD recipe that I use (a variation of Alton Browns recipe) is probably better. I recently made this dip for a friend's housewarming party and it got rave reviews! If you decide to test drive this recipe please leave a comment and let me know your opinion.

Spinach Artichoke Dip (SAD)

1 ½ bricks of neufchatel cheese (or Cream Cheese- 1/3 less fat)
1- 8oz or 10z package of frozen chopped spinach
1- can of artichoke quartered hearts in water or brine NOT marinated! (canned veggie isle)
½ -cup light mayonnaise
½ -cup reduced fat sour cream
2/3 -cup shredded parmesan cheese
½- tsp red pepper flakes
½ -tsp garlic powder
½- tsp salt

Defrost the Frozen Spinach (I typically do in the microwave)

In a small pot cover spinach with water and cook on low for 5-10 minutes.

Drain the can of artichoke hearts. Chop them up into smaller pieces.

Remove the neufchatel cheese from the packages and put in a microwavable dish ( I use a medium sized, oval corning ware dish, a 9x9 square glass baking dish would also work).

Microwave the neufchatel cheese from 1 – 1.5 minutes until it begins to bubble.

Stir in all the other ingredients: Mayo, Sour Cream, Red Pepper Flakes, Garlic Powder and Salt, chopped artichoke hearts, chopped cooked spinach and parmesan cheese. Mix thoroughly.

Before serving pop the dish back in the microwave (covered with lid or plastic wrap) for 1 minute increments. Serve the dip warm with tortilla chips or sliced French bread

Substitutions and Notes:

*Neufchatel cheese is a version of cream cheese with less fat – every grocery store sells it in the dairy isle right next to the cream cheese.

* You can use an 8 oz bag of frozen artichoke hearts (find by frozen veggies)- defrost and drain before using.

*If using grated parmesan cheese, cut the amount of cheese to a 1/3 cup.

*I attempt to make this as light as I can and still taste yummy, so feel free to fatten this recipe up by using the full-fat versions of sour cream, mayo and cream cheese.

*I do not endorse making this even “healthier” with fat free products.