It’s that time of year again. Football season has made its way into almost every American home. That means it’s also the time of year where winter weight starts appearing. Game day food is the culprit for much of the winter weight football lovers and haters gain. I added ‘haters’ or shall I say I ‘could not care lessers’. Unless it is USC, I could care less. So how is it that I can still gain weight during this ‘football widow’ season? I would rather eat than watch the game.
Before everyone starts giving me a hard time, I have tried to get into football for my husband’s sake. He’s tried teaching me. We even did our own Fantasy Football League one year. I lost interest half way through and admitted defeat. It’s just not my thing. Trying to figure out who is injured, who is good/bad, and ugly is a lot of work.
So what is a girl to do that doesn’t want a fatty winter coat? Bring healthier options. Lets face it, most people don’t care or think about healthier options when football is involved. So you are going to have to do it yourself. Or not. There is a quote that I love, “Summer bodies are made in the winter”. Keep that in mind as you attend a multitude of game day parties.
Options, they are plenty. You can always go with a standard crudite platter (veggies and dip) but I like to fancy up my apps. You can’t go wrong with my baked Strawberry Hot wings. Or my Assyrian family recipe for Jajic dip. But I’d like to introduce you to an upscale, lightened version of the artichoke dip. I call her Artichoke Goat Cheese Dip.
This spicy, creamy, yet chunky dip is everything I look for in a crowd pleasing appetizer. I combined lightly caramelized shallots, with garlic, red pepper flakes and a touch of sea salt. Then added the savory combination to goat cheese and 0% greek yogurt. As if the mixture wasn’t already to do for, I added in chopped artichoke hearts.
I feel compelled to share with you my newest find in the realm of already steamed artichokes. Raise your hand if you hate veggies in a can. I raised both, because I hate them that much. Canned veggies contain added salt, BPA, and sulfites. Nothing you want in your body if you are trying to eat clean.
Melissa’s Produce has recently come out with a new way to buy cooked artichokes. No cans! The artichokes are steamed then vacuumed sealed and packaged in a cute little box. No nasty chemicals to rinse off. What I loved the most about the product is there is no chemical after taste, just pure artichoke goodness. I measured out over a cup of artichoke hearts in the package. Due to the lack of liquid in the packaging the weight is all artichokes!
I only used half the package in the dip. I have scrumptious plans for the other half. Stay tuned.
Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own. Artichokes were provided by Melissa’s Produce.
- Serves: 16
- Serving size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 32
- Fat: 2.1
- Saturated fat: 1.2
- Carbohydrates: .8
- Sugar: .5
- Sodium: 106
- Protein: 2.5
- Cholesterol: 3.3
- 1 tablespoon Earth Balance Butter or Olive Oil
- 1 large shallot, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed (I used the bottom of a glass)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 oz plain goat cheese
- ⅓ cup 0% plain greek yogurt (I like Fage)
- 1 cup Melissa's Steamed Artichoke Hearts, chopped
- In a small saucepan heat the butter or oil
- Over medium-low heat sauté the shallots, garlic cloves, salt, and red pepper till the shallots turn a golden brown color. About 10 -15 minutes. Do not over cook them. Remove from heat and cool.
- In a medium sized bowl, using a fork, smash the goat cheese with the yogurt till combined. Fold in the artichoke hearts.
- Add the cooled shallot mixture into the goat cheese mixture, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- Serve with sliced cucumbers or Fig and Olive Crackers from Trader Joe's. They are delicious!