Hot Spinach Artichoke with Parmesan Dip

Who doesn't love a good spinach artichoke dip?  But buying that stuff is expensive and you can't always run to Chili's when a craving hits.  So of course, I did a bit of Google-ing and found a few recipes.  With a big shout out to Alton Brown for his basis and some tweaking of my own I have developed a Hot Spinach Artichoke with Parmesan Dip that is stellar!  We all like it far better than any from any restaurant. 

Hot Spinach Artichoke with Parmesan Dip

Ingredients  

8 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup Miracle Whip

1/4 cup Alfredo sauce 

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 1/2 cup fresh spinach

1 1/2 cup artichoke hearts

1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions

Use a food processor to roughly chop spinach and artichoke hearts.  You'll want to do these separately from one another.

Warm the cream cheese in the microwave, on medium for about a minute or until it is very soft. (Don't use high as that will "cook" it).

Stir the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sour cream, Miracle Whip and Alfredo sauce.  Stir until creamy and well blended.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Mix until well blended.  Add the spinach and artichoke.  Mix well.  Stir  in the Parmesan cheese.

Turn mixture into a casserole dish.  Sprinkle with the additional cheese.  Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.   

Serve with your favorite chips, crackers or bread. 

Hints and Tips

• You can substitute mayo for the Miracle Whip if you prefer the taste.

• Add extra red pepper flakes if you like a bit more of a kick, you can also reduce the amount if you are wimpy about spice.

• For a pretty browned finish to the top of the dish sprinkle with a bit of additional Parmesan cheese, then at the end of the baking process broil for about 7 minutes until the top is to your desired brownness. 

• NEVER use the powdered Parmesan in the green can.  You can grate your own or use the pre-grated cheese in a bag. 

Chunky Bean Dip

Several years ago I went through a healthy eating kick. I diligently searched and made only "healthy" low-fat foods. As you can tell by my recipes I am over that phase. There are only a few hold-overs from those days and they are so yummy my kids don't realize they are one of those "good for you" foods. This is one of the best and it disappears almost instantly.

Chunky Bean Dip

Ingredients:
Beans
4 cups dry pinto beans
1 whole potato
2 large onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 can (8 ounce) tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 Tablespoon salt

Dip
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon Cholula or other red pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy or Southwest Chipolte seasoning
1/4 cup fresh chili (hot) peppers, chopped
1/4 cup fresh onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh tomato, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon Hot Shot (equal parts black and cayenne pepper, you can mix your own)
Directions:

Sort and rinse beans at least twice.
Cover with a lot of water and soak overnight.
Pour off the water and rinse well.
Place beans in a large pot and cover with water
Scrub potato clean and add, whole, to the beans and water
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 1 1/2 hours until beans are tender.
Add the remaining ingredients for the beans and simmer another 35-45 minutes to blend flavors.
Remove potato and discard.

Place 2 cups of beans in a flat bottomed bowl and mash with a potato masher.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
You can serve immediately or wait a while for flavors to blend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tips and Hints

• Pouring off the rinse water and cooking with the potato are both methods to decrease flatulence. The potato absorbs the gas.



• You will have extra beans use them for something else or freeze them.



• If you like mild food use fewer peppers, or peppers of a more mild nature such as Anaheim, also remove the seeds and membranes, since that is where a lot of the heat is contained.



• If you love it hot, hot, hot use spicier peppers like jalapenos and serranos if you are really adventurous try a habanero.



• Another way to turn up the heat is to leave the seeds in.



• I use two or three different types of peppers per batch.



• I never make just a single batch of this, it goes too quickly. I use up all the cooked beans



• You can use canned beans, but the flavor will not be as rich.


• If you like your dip smoother, you can process the completed dip in a food processor or blender.