Spinach Artichoke Dip

A big happy birthday to my friend Elizabeth! We threw her a surprise birthday party and I made a batch of my spinach artichoke dip especially for her, since I believe it's her favorite of my vast array of dips thus far. :) I use a good amount of seasoning and garlic powder in this recipe - I hate bland spinach artichoke dips, so adjust the seasoning as you see fit. This recipe makes a BIG batch of dip, enough for a party, so you may want to halve it for a smaller crowd.

SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP

INGREDIENTS:

2 8oz packages light cream cheese, softened
16 oz light sour cream
1 1/2 cups light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
10 shakes of your favorite hot sauce
2 cans artichoke hearts, drained
1 10oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
3 cups shredded Italian cheese


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise together until thoroughly combined. Stir in garlic powder, salt, pepper, dried basil and hot sauce. Mix in artichoke hearts, spinach, and 2 cups of the shredded Italian cheese - reserve remaining 1 cup of cheese.

2. Spread dip evenly into deep 9x13 baking dish and top with remaining 1 cup of shredded Italian cheese. Cover tightly with foil. Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove foil cover, switch oven to broil, and cook additional 3-5 minutes until top is golden brown. Serve with tortilla chips or bread.

Luscious Lowfat Cheesecake Dip

Okay, so I'm sort of infamous for making desserts involving pudding, cream cheese, Cool Whip or a combo of the three. I should own stock in Jell-o. This is a dip that I came up with to jazz up a fruit platter, and the lowfat ingredients make it kind on the waistline too.

LUSCIOUS LOWFAT CHEESECAKE DIP

INGREDIENTS:

1 small package Jello sugar free/fat free instant Cheesecake pudding mix
3/4 cup skim milk
1 8oz container Cool Whip Free


DIRECTIONS:

1. Using a handheld mixer gradually blend instant pudding mix and skim milk until well incorporated.

2. Add Cool Whip Free and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate several hours or overnight, covered. Serve with assorted fruit.