Friday, March 27, 2009

Going Green

In case you haven't heard, its a woman's prerogative to change her mind. That goes double for Divas. Call me crazy, you wouldn't be the first, but I've done a culinary one-eighty. On Tuesday I was all about the Winter foods ... these last two days? Nothing but Spring. Maybe it was the double shot of turnips, or perhaps I've been cooped up in my cashmere too long ... but suddenly I'm craving fresh things, fresh flavors. I'm craving green.

Creamy Spinach and Feta Dip:
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove of garlic, peeled and smashed
  • 2 cups, packed, of baby spinach leaves, stems removed, washed and drained
  • 3/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/4 cup of 1/3 less-fat cream cheese
  • 8 oz. of non-fat plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 tsp. of grated lemon zest, minced
  • 1 tbsp. of chopped fresh dill
  • pinch of salt and a generous grating of fresh black pepper
Heat a small saute pan over medium high heat and to it add 1 tsp. of olive oil. Saute the minced shallot in the oil until translucent and just beginning to color, about 2 minutes or so, do not brown. Remove the shallots to a small bowl, cool and reserve.

Place the garlic, cooled shallots, and the spinach into the bowl of your food processor. Its ok - preferable even - if a bit of water is still clinging to the spinach leaves. Pulse and process until the spinach is shredded. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the Feta and the cream cheese. Process until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the Greek yogurt and process until smooth. Add the lemon zest, fresh dill, a bit of salt and pepper and process until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Transfer the mixture to a serving vessel and serve immediately with a variety of crudites and some whole grain crackers or flat bread. Or, alternately, cover and chill until needed.

As written, this recipe will yield approximately 2 cups of dip.

Honestly, this dip is so good, so luscious and creamy, I could simply eat it with a spoon. Its delightful with some strips of red bell pepper or some crisp carrot sticks as well. And hey, if you want to try it with some chips, go for it ... I promise I won't tell.

The sun is shining, the birds are singing and we're on our way to a delightful high of 63 degrees today. I'd say that's cause for celebration. Why not whip up a batch of this yummy, healthy dip, pour yourself a long, tall Moscow Mule and start the weekend off right? A more winning combination I cannot imagine.

Bon appetit!

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

TGI...Spring! I am so excited about the warmer weather today, Diva. This dip looks so incredibly tasty. It would also be great with pita chips, I'd imagine. Yum, this recipe looks like a real winner!

Melissa Good Taste said...

That sounds sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good! I am going to make this!

The Diva on a Diet said...

Tracy - I know, its gorgeous out today ... finally! :) I agree, pita chips would be outstanding with this dip. I'm going to pick some up later today.

Melissa - it really is that good. I hope you love it as much as I do. :)

Veriance said...

oh man! I wish I'd read this before I went to the grocery store! looks delicious and I love spinach/feta. YUM

The Diva on a Diet said...

Oh dear, well, there's always tomorrow, Veri! LOL

Anonymous said...

That dip looks extremely yum. The sun is shining over here in Dublin too at the moment. Well....it's shining between sporadic showers but sure, that's Irish spring for you!
I'm going to give this a try soon and I'll let you know how I get on. Thanks again for stopping by today!

The Diva on a Diet said...

Aoife - Dublin spring sounds a lot like NYC spring. I'll take the sun when we can get it! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you love the dip. I've added you to my blogroll and will definitely be visiting you again. :)

Anonymous said...

Yes, yes yes. Superb party dip! Pass the crackers, flatbread, carrot sticks, spanikopita, anything! It would all be dipped right in there.

The Diva on a Diet said...

Thanks, Duo! So true, it would make an awesome party dip ... good excuse for another partay!

My Big Fat Super Super Obese Blog said...

holy cow! That stuff looks AMAZING!!! Thanks for the great comment and feedback on my blog. You are absolutely right about me eating a bunch of empty calories. I'll try the oatmeal this week and tweak a few other areas. I try to have whole wheat buns, etc on hand, but didn't this time. I'm also going to make up a batch of brown rice this weekend and use that as filler as well.

The Diva on a Diet said...

MBFSOB - welcome! And you are most welcome for the comment on your blog. You're right - being prepared, having the right ingredients in the house makes all the difference. Sometimes easier said than done, I know. Good deal on the brown rice, you'll be glad to have it around. You can do this!! :)

Christo Gonzales said...

lets meet up for a picnic - our families can meet...one of these weekends - maybe we can make it a foodbuzz thing

The Diva on a Diet said...

doggybloggy - you're on! Will get in touch with you next week at some point. By the way, are you going to the Electrolux event next Tuesday night? I don't think its a Foodbuzz thing, but I do think they got my name from the last event.

Jennifer said...

fantastic--I was just invited for a girls night tomorrow night and now I know what to bring!

Beer Lover said...

i very much like the look of it. i love green!

Cookie Brochette said...

Oh my, that looks good! I think it would be perfect with veggies. And the Moscow Mule, of course.

Daily Spud said...

Being from Ireland, I of course think that anything green is good, but this looks like a particularly excellent green creation, and I got me some dill in the fridge, so...

Deb said...

Welcome to spring Diva! I've been on a spring tear for some time now but then Tampa has been springier than NY! I've been indulging in asparagus one of my spring favs. I want to try a "peasto" that Rachel Ray made the other night with frozen peas made into a pesto with basil and tarragon over whole wheat pasta - looked yummy. She hels back some whole peas to add when done.

Anonymous said...

Let the sun shine in! Be gone winter you devil! I'm of the mind to restock my pantry this weekend, too. No more roasting, it's time to grill.

Astra Libris said...

Mmmmm, your dip sounds like spring heaven!!!

Treehouse Chef said...

This looks so tasty and healthy too. Can't wait to try it.

Sass said...

That just looks so delicious, I actually may try making it! ;)

Heavenly Housewife said...

That dip looks great :) Maybe spring foods and thoughts will make it feel like spring. Here in England its still pretty chilly. I have some lovely summer dresses I cant wait to wear already.

Tangled Noodle said...

It's only expected to get up to 40 today in MN but we're celebrating SIL's b-day with some grilled hamburgers! I was wondering what else I could serve that might negate the gorge-fest of red meat and melted cheese. This is perfect!

pixelgal said...

Connecticut has finally reached 60 degrees, oh we of little faith. We knew it was supposed to be spring, but still....Now the robins abound and one can smell the season in the air even though we know better than to get used to it so soon. Yesterday the heated seats were on in the car...today the sunroof is cracked. And hello to all you Irish out there. Our relatives are in Mayo and we love visiting and having a 'chat' with them in front of a turf fire. Slainte!

Elizabeth said...

Whoa that looks so good! I am going to totally make that this week. :) Yum!!

The Diva on a Diet said...

Jennifer - thanks! Let me know how you like it.

Beer Lover - thank you and welcome!

Cookie B. - exactly ... this dip was made to compliment the Mule! :)

Daily Spud - thanks! I'm rather fond of green myself, especially when its tasty and contains dill. :)

Deb - that pesto sounds excellent. Let me know how it turns out. Pretty soon it will be summer and I'll be whining about the heat ... but for now, send me somma that FLA sunshine, would ya? LOL

Dana - has spring sprung in Canada? I'm mentally ready to grill, but I fear it may be a ways away.

Astra - it really was, thanks!

Treehouse Chef - welcome and thanks so much for you lovely comment. I'll look forward to checking out your blog too. :)

Sass - do it! LOL and ;)

Heavenly Housewife - I know, I like to rush the seasons too ... though Mother Nature may have other ideas.

Tangled Noodle - this would be a great off-set for the yummy, yet rich, burgers. Let me know how liked it and hope the party was fab!

Pixelgal - so right, the weather is fickle indeed. My heat's on today and I'm back in the cashmere sweaters. A turf fire would be most welcome!

Juliet - yay, I think you'll really like it. :)