Tag Archives: cream cheese

Spinach Artichoke Dip

3 Nov

The other day I went to Olive Garden and I wanted to order an appetizer sooooo badly.  But I knew that…

1) I would not be able to eat a salad, soup, entrée and an appetizer in one sitting

2) the appetizers in these restaurants are not necessarily the healthiest ones.

So now that my sister has given birth and many friends and family are visiting her to see the new baby, Titi Madelyn is taking care of the kitchen.  People in this house are not-vegetarian, but they have been the last few days because I will cook, but only things I am able to eat too.

The weekend is when people are mostly visiting and I am making dips left and right to at least have something for people to nibble on while they visit.  Last Sunday it was my Veggie Dip – something I can make without even thinking, if I have all the ingredients.  Last night I made my Tomato Basil Bruschetta mix. 

Today…  my version of a Spinach Artichoke Dip.  I do not count calories…  that’s not my thing.  I am not really sure if it’s a “healthier” version of what they serve at Olive Garden.  But at least I do know all the ingredients it went into making it.  Super easy too… great to make ahead and just pop in the oven when guests and visitors arrive.

 

SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP

1 package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 package of frozen artichokes, thawed and chopped
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 ½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
1 package cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup plain yogurt
¾ cup eggless mayonnaise
About ¼ cup of Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Garlic Powder to taste
 
  1. In a large bowl combine all ingredients.  Mix well.
  2. Transfer to an oven safe dish and bake at 375F for about 30 minutes.

 

Serve warm with tortilla chips, crackers or toasted bread.

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Cielito Lindo

14 Dec

After my trip to Guadalajara recently, I was in a very Mexican vibe…  I wanted to eat over and over again the flavors of Mexico I had just experienced.

Now during the Holidays, if you want to enjoy a “dip” or appetizer with a Mexican influence, you can prepare a Cielito Lindo.  I’ve heard people called this a 7-layer dip.  But in Puerto Rico we call it a Cielito Lindo… maybe because we’re not tied to a specific amount of layers of ingredients.  And what’s cool about this, you can construct the layers as you prefer, including everything you love or deleting anything you don’t.  I personally do not like refried beans, so I never include them, but if they’re your “thing”, go ahead and add a layer of them.

I made this version in a large ramekin, but you can adjust the quantities to fit the larger plate or tray you want to use.

CIELITO LINDO

4 oz of cream cheese, room temperature
2 tbs of your favorite Mexican salsa
½ cup of shredded cheddar – mixture of white and orange works great
¼ cup of shredded lettuce
¼ cup of tomatoes, chopped finely
1 tbs sour cream
Whole grain corn tortilla chips to accompany

 

This is more an assembly dish than a recipe…

  1. First, spread a layer of the softened cream cheese. 
  3. Then spread the salsa on top of the cream cheese. 
  5. Sprinkle half of the shredded cheese on top of salsa.
  7. Place a layer of the lettuce and the tomatoes on top of that.
  9. Sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheese and top with a dollop of sour cream.

Enjoy with your favorite whole-grain corn chips…

 

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Asparagus Dip

15 Jun

Inspired by these asparagus sandwiches or maybe a little bit lazy for not wanting to roll out sandwich bread for an upcoming Francophones party…  I decided to make an asparagus dip.  All the flavor and texture of the sandwich filling in an easier-on-the-cook format…

 

Asparagus Dip 3

 

ASPARAGUS DIP

1 jar of asparagus spears
¼ cup of egg-less mayonnaise
8oz of cream cheese
Garlic salt to season to taste

 

  1. In the bowl of a food processor combine the asparagus, egg-less mayonnaise, cream cheese and the garlic salt.  Pulse until it becomes a paste. 

 

Serve with crackers or on top of crostini…

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Almond-Stuffed Dates

7 Apr

This is a dish I learned from Emeril Lagasse…  I have heard so much about dates wrapped in bacon on the internet that I wanted to give it as try using veggie bacon.

I brought this appetizer to one of our Les Francophones party.  And as always, these vegetarian experiments are usually a better hit with the non-vegetarians than with the true veggie people.  The husband of a friend was all over these, so much, I had to sneak a few out of the plate for Annie Mariel , my fellow “almost vegetarian” of the group, to get a chance to try them.

There are a few steps in making these, but I believe they’re worth it.  The amount of stuffed dates are contingent upon how many slices of veggie bacon you have… so I will give you the method here, not so much quantities.

 stuffed-dates

ALMOND-STUFFED DATES

Pitted dates
About 1/3 of an 8oz pack of cream cheese
Almonds, with skin removed and toasted
1 package of veggie bacon strips, cut in half
Toothpicks
Canola oil spray

 

I first soaked the almonds in water to remove the skin… afterwards, I toasted them lightly in a 350F toaster oven for about 15 minutes, until the almonds start to smell a bit and turn a slight darker beige color. You can do this in advance if you want…

  1. Leave the oven at 350F or pre-heat it to that temperature if you made the almonds in advance, which I recommend so you can handle them better.
  2. Create an assembly line…  Take a date and make sure it does not have the seed inside… this might be a not so nice surprise for your guest’s teeth.  Take an almond and pick a bit if cream cheese with the tip.  Insert the almond into the date using the pointy end of the almond as a guide.  After the almond and cream cheese is inside the date, wrap the date with a ½ strip of veggie bacon and secure with a tooth pick.
  3. Be careful using the tooth picks because they can tear the veggie bacon… remember this is a soy-based product and does not have the same fat content of the original…  now, place the stuffed and wrapped dates in a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and spray with canola oil spray.  This will prevent the veggie bacon to get too dry in the oven.
  4. Bake in oven for about 10-15 minutes…  when you like the color of the veggie bacon, take them out.

Let them cool off a bit and take off the toothpick before serving…

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Guava Paste and Cream Cheese

15 Mar

This has to be the first dessert I was taught how to make… besides opening a bag of Hershey’s Kisses, that is.

I grew up in a house where there always was guava paste and cream cheese, two if my dad’s passions.  I guess the passion rubbed off on me, because nowadays I heart anything with either guava or cream cheese, not to mention anything that combines the two.

This is just so simple that’s difficult to even call it a recipe…

 guayaba-con-queso-crema

GUAVA PASTE AND CREAM CHEESE

3 strips of guava paste
3 strips of cream cheese – you can use regular or the 1/3 less fat kind – the only difference is that the regular kind will hold its shape better when eating it…
  1. Place guava strips onto a plate and place the cream cheese strip on top.
  2. Take carefully with your fingers and enjoy the pleasure…

 

Read well the guava paste packages before buying.  Buy guava paste that’s free of additives or artificial colorants.  It should only contain guava, sugar and citric acid.  Anything else in there you do not want it or need it.

If you’re not into cream cheese, or do not have it in the house, just use any other cheese like queso blanco, cheddar or even muenster would work well here… it’s just something to cut the sweetness of the guava paste.

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