BBQ-ing with TexaGermaNadian

Hey Juici readers! I’m TexaGermaNadian and Jessi is letting me jack her blog today. And I wanted to share a summer treat with ya’ll!

Yes, I said ya’ll. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a proud Texan. I somehow married a Canadian. Go figure how we met! lol. And we live in Europe (Germany for the past three years) where he plays hockey!

Anyways, when we get our summer time back in Texas, we tend to sweat our butts off make the most of it. And I am excited for Memorial Day weekend!! I love the family and friends around. I love the hot summer weather. I love a beer or two around the pool. And I even love those nasty little things called hot dogs. Mmmm mmm. Once a year, they taste so good!

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Memorial Day weekend really does seem to be centered around food…and in a lot of cases, beer. So I thought I would share with you one of my all-time favorite picnic/BBQ – or cocktail party or special occasion or, say, a Tuesday – recipes.

This Baked Artichoke Dip is so tasty and so delicious, that no one will ever guess that it is, shhhhh, VIRTUALLY FAT FREE! Isn’t that awesome?! It really is as tasty as it sounds. So whether you are watching your weight, or just want to save some of those calories for the dessert brownies, this dip is perfect for you!

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And it couldn’t be easier…
(adapted from an old Weight Watchers Recipe)

Baked Artichoke Dip
Ingredients:
1 cup dry curd or nonfat cottage cheese

1 tbsp unbleached flour
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp ground white pepper

1/2 tsp crushed fresh garlic

1 package (10 oz) frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, or 
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained (I prefer the canned)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated nonfat or reduced-fat Parmesan cheese

Place the cottage cheese, flour, lemon juice, pepper, and garlic in a 
food processor and process until smooth.  Add the artichoke hearts 
and all but 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese, and process until the mixture is slightly chunky. Pulsing the mixture works perfectly for this Coat a small casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the artichoke mixture in the dish, top with the remaining Parmesan, 
and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, or until the edges are bubbly and 
the top is lightly browned.  Serve hot with whole grain crackers or my favorite, cut veggies.

SERVING SIZE:  1 tablespoon
PER SERVING:  11 Calories, 1.2 g Protein, 0 g Fat, 43 mg Sodium, 
1 mg Cholesterol, 0.6 g Dietary Fiber

See, wasn’t that super easy?!

I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend. And a great summer ahead of them! With this new BBQ staple, how could you not?!

And thanks again Jessi. I had fun taking over your blog for the day!

Just in case you were wondering about that whole TexaGermaNadian thing! I can at least prove the German! lol