from Kris B.

Creamy Artichoke-Zucchini Dip

Yep, this is another recipe that I chose based on my ongoing attempt to be more intentional about what I eat with the hope that I will lose some unneeded and unwanted weight.  I am following the Weight Watchers plan which, at least in the first three weeks, has proven to work for me.  We’ll see if over the next few months the rest of the weight comes off as easily.

Fruits and veggies are “free” foods on the Weight Watchers plan so I figured a recipe that has veggies as its primary ingredients would be a good place to start.  I have always been a fan of spinach-artichoke dip.  In fact, I will eat spinach with, on, or in just about anything.  I was a little surprised by this recipe’s use of zucchini instead of spinach; but hey, I like zucchini too so what is there to lose?  And if my garden produces like it did last year, I should have an abundance of zucchini.  I’m always grateful for new ways to use it!  So, Creamy Artichoke-Zucchini Dip it is!

You may think that a recipe that uses both cream cheese and sour cream would not be  “figure friendly.”  This recipe actually uses both low-fat cream cheese and low-fat sour cream.  The use of these low-fat ingredients is not a high calorie recipe re-do; they are used because full fat of both of these ingredients would make the dip way too rich.

The full list of ingredients is:

• 1 14oz can of artichoke hearts
• 1 small zucchini
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 scallions
• 8 oz. of low-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel)
• 1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 – 1 tsp Tabasco sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt

In addition to the twist of zucchini rather than spinach, this recipe also suggests an interesting means of preparation.  It calls for the dip to be cooked in a bread machine on the jam setting.  I don’t have a bread machine because, well, using a bread machine takes all of the fun out of making bread.  That said, I had no idea that you can use a bread machine for making something other than bread.  To be honest, as intriguing as this sounds, even if I did have a bread machine with a jam setting, I don’t know why you would choose to cook this dip that way.

To make the Creamy Artichoke-Zucchini Dip, all of the ingredients are placed in a food processor.  I pulsed them until the large chunks of vegetables were small  You don’t want a completely smooth paste.  Then place the dip in an oven-safe dish and bake it for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.  It’s that simple!

For some reason, I don’t seem to have an oven safe dish the proper size for the three cups of dip that the recipe makes.  Everything I have is either too big or too small.  I felt like Goldilocks in the kitchen!  Lol!  In the midst of this dilemma, I decided to calculate the Weight Watchers point value for the dip.  It turns out to be a reasonable 5 points for a half cup serving.  And with that discovery, my baking problem was solved.  I used six half-cup ramekins making it very easy to control portion size!

Weber and I had the dip on celery for lunch.  It is quite tasty.  I did use the lesser amount of Tabasco; he requested more next time I make it I use “a lot” more.  The 1/2 of a teaspoon wasn’t even noticeable.  And this is not because are Texas taste buds are numb to heat.  So, next time I make this, a little more hot and hopefully some homegrown zucchini!

Snack, appetizer for guests, lunch, a dinner side…the Creamy Artichoke-Zucchini Dip is up for the challenge!

My next experiment with it may be as a topping for a flatbread pizza.  I’ll let you know how that works!

from Tracey G.

Lemon-Garlic Butter

As I looked through recipes for this week, a thought struck me that, sometimes, simple is better. Something super easy to make is something we don’t usually think of. This week, the compound butter recipe from King Arthur Flour for Lemon-Garlic Butter felt like that kind of thing – simple, yet something I don’t usually make or have on hand, which is crazy because it’s an easy and quick thing to make and use! And this recipe is really just a jumping off point to all the possibilities. As I was combining the ingredients, my brain was already ahead of myself as to the variations that this could be put through…chili powder for something different, or even sweet versions adding honey for biscuit topping or whatever else you like. The possibilities are endless, and butter is a good vehicle for all kinds of flavors!

This recipe uses the KAF Lemon Juice Powder, but you can use fresh if you desire. I have the powder on hand, so wanted to give it a try that way first. And, me being me, I sometimes cannot leave well enough alone, and, I added a splash of extra-virgin olive oil as the butter was blending in the mixer and a drop or two of my Lemon Oil that I get from KAF. But seriously, none of that is necessary and it’s my own thing I felt compelled to do! And, ok, I added some dried parsley as it, admittedly, would (hopefully) help it photograph better! A little bit of green in a sea of butter-colored butter!

This is recipe that is actually more of a method, and in this instance the method has amounts of particular ingredients. If you wing it on some other flavor, you can make it to your taste!

This, method/recipe involves:

• 1 stick of butter
• 1 tbsp of garlic
• 1 tbsp of Lemon Juice Powder, or 1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt if you use unsalted butter.

You put all ingredients into the mixer bowl and blend until the butter is fluffy. I then dumped it out onto a piece of waxed paper, and proceeded to make a roll out of it, twisted the ends of the wax paper, then back in the refrigerator it went!

It’s just that easy to have flavored butter around for whatever you desire. I am planning on using this on hot pasta and possible a pat of it on a nice steak! And since you can freeze butter beautifully, this would keep well in smaller portions frozen, ready to be pulled out as needed!