Craving Ellie- Warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip

This week's Craving Ellie recipe was chosen by one of my favorite bloggers, Cathy, who blogs over at The Tortefeasor. Cathy cracks me up. Every single time I go and read her posts, I am seriously laughing. She is so fun and I really enjoyed her pick, Warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip. I know that most Ellies made this one for the Superbowl, but we don't watch it and I came down with the flu this weekend. I have been sleeping, taking advil and tylenol, coughing and sleeping some more for the past 5-6 days. Yuck!
But, I still wanted to make this dip, so one day, I drugged up and set to it. Because it was a fairly easy recipe, I didn't feel too horrible after throwing it together and the results at the dinner table were lots of happy faces. We served it with tortilla chips (kind of ruins the whole healthy thing) and carrots & celery sticks. Everyone loved it and it tasted so good and was so easy, that I am sure I will make it again. Hopefully this flu bug will be gone by the beginning of next week, but I will apologize now for the lack of comments I have made. Sitting in front of the computer is not easy for me when I feel like this.
Go and see what the other Ellies thought about this yummy dip, by checking out the Craving Ellie Blogroll!

Warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip by Ellie Krieger
Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 cloves garlic
1 (9-ounce) package artichoke hearts, defrosted, rinsed and dried
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, excess liquid squeezed out.
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 cup (4 ounces) Neufchatel cheese (reduced-fat cream cheese)
2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes, or until onions are light golden but not browned. Remove from heat and cool.
In the bowl of a food processor combine artichoke hearts, spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, Neufchatel, mozzarella and salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Add cooled onion-garlic mixture to the food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
Transfer mixture into an 8-inch glass square baking dish or 9-inch glass pie plate which has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve with pita wedges or crudites

Coming Sometime Soon (Hopefully when the flu is gone) Cranberry-Zucchini Muffins and a Barley-Tofu Salad with a Greek Twist

Artichoke Heart and Spinach Gratin

One of my favorite cookbooks is The Vegetable Dishes I can't Live Without by Mollie Katzen. I love vegetables, but sometimes need inspiration on delicious, new ways to serve them. This cookbook is chock full of inventive, delicious ways to serve up all sorts of veggies.
This particular dish reminds me of Spinach-Artichoke Dip, because of its ingredients, but is is fresher tasting and much healthier. The spinach is wilted with onions and garlic and then the artichokes are stirred in. Top it off with bread crumbs and some fresh Parmesan and you have a great main or side dish. Plus, I love how rustic it looked, served in a cast-iron skillet.
It was easy to prepare and very delicious. If you love vegetables or need some new ways to fix them, I recommend checking out this cookbook.



Artichoke Heart & Spinach Gratin adapted from The Vegetables Dishes I can't Live Without by Mollie Katzen
12 oz. artichoke hearts, canned, bottled or frozen (I used bottled)
1 pd. fresh baby spinach leaves
1 Tbls olive oil
1 cup finely minced onion
2 tsps minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt
pepper
1/2 cup coarse bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. If using frozen artichokes, run under tap water to defrost. If using canned or bottled, drain on a paper towel.
3. Rinse spinach and shake off most of the water.
4. Place a large, deep skillet with an ovenproof handle over medium heat. Heat oil and add onion. Saute for 5 minutes.
5. Increase the heat to med-high, add the spinach and cover. Cook, tossing occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, or until wilted. Remove cover and continue to cook for about 10 minutes or until the liquid released by the spinach mostly evaporates.
6. Turn the heat back to medium and add the garlic. Saute until garlic is fragrant. Stir in salt, pepper and artichoke hearts. Remove from the heat.
7. Smooth the top surface with the back of a spoon and sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the top, followed by an even layer of cheese.
8. Bake, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, or until the Parmesan is golden and the bread crumbs have turned golden and crispy. Serve hot or warm.

Coming Tomorrow- Walnut-Crusted Tilapia with Kale and Barley Pilaf

Greek Salad

To finish off the birthday dinner we had Greek Salad as well. Usually when I make this salad it has chicken, sauteed in Greek seasoning, on top to make it more of a meal. We had a little chicken leftover, that we couldn't fit on the pizza, so we threw that on top. The salad is a little different from the way I usually fix it- check out this LINK , to see the other way we eat this salad and the greek seasoning I use. There are no tomatoes in the picture, but we added them on the side, because some members of my family think tomatoes are poisonous-(it is an adult). I love serving this in a trifle bowl, because then you can see all the pretty colors and it just looks lovely on the table.


Greek Salad with Vinaigrette by Mary Ann
3 oz baby spinach
1 head romaine lettuce, rinsed and chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/2 large green pepper, chopped
1 small yellow pepper, chopped
1 small orange pepper, chopped
1- 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1-14 or 15 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 oz block feta cheese, crumbled
2 tomatoes, chopped

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle Greek Vinaigrette over top and toss; or let everyone dress their own salad.

Greek Vinaigrette* or Athenos Brand Greek Dressing with Feta Cheese
4 Tbls fresh lemon juice
4 Tbls red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

*Combine lemon juice and next 5 ingredients in a blender. Start blending and slowly pour in olive oil. Turn off blender and stir in feta cheese. Store in the fridge.

Greek Chicken Pizza

My sister wanted Greek Salad for her birthday, but also wanted pizza, so I came up with this Greek Chicken Pizza. We doubled the pizza dough, because some people just have to have pepperoni! (I only use turkey pepperoni and we threw on some mushrooms so there would be at least 1 veggie!) This is a hearty pizza, with the toppings piled on high. Spinach, artichoke hearts, red peppers, greek seasoned chicken, feta and mozzarella. It was delish! Don't mind the little pool of liquid on the pizza, just a little moisture from the veggies- it didn't affect the taste at all!


Greek Chicken Pizza by Mary Ann
Pizza dough: (double to make 2 large round pizzas)
3 and a half cups flour
1 cup warm water
2 Tbsp yeast
2 Tbsp honey
¼ cup olive oil
½ tsp of salt
Pizza sauce: (makes enough for 2 large round pizzas)
1 Tbls olive oil
1 small white onion, chopped
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbls fresh basil, chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme, removed from stems
2-14 oz cans petite diced tomatoes, flavored with olive oil and garlic
1 6-oz can tomato paste
Greek chicken:
1 Tbls olive oil
16-20 oz. chicken breast or tenders, cut into bite size pieces
2-4 Tbls Greek seasoning
Pizza Toppings:
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1-14 oz can artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped
3 oz baby spinach
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix ingredients for pizza dough in a mixer with paddle attachment, until thoroughly mixed. Cover and let rise for 1/2 hour in a warm place.
To made sauce- heat oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven. Add onion and saute, until almost tender. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add herbs and saute for 1 more minute. Add tomatoes and cook until bubbly. Add tomato paste and stir to combine. Reduce heat and let simmer for a few minutes. Scoop mixture into blender and puree, for a few minutes, until completely pureed. Set aside.
To cook chicken- Heat oil in electric skillet. Add chicken and season heavily with greek seasoning. Saute for a few minutes, until all sides are cooked. Cover and turn heat to low. Let cook until completely cooked through and then keep covered.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray round pizza pan with cooking spray. Put pizza dough on pan and roll out to edges, leaving enough around the edges to make a nice crust. Prick crust with a fork in a few places. Bake for 6 minutes and remove from oven.
Spread crust evenly with pizza sauce. Layer spinach on top of sauce- it is okay if it overlaps. Place red pepper strips on top of spinach. Place artichoke hearts around peppers. Sprinkle chicken all over the top. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of chicken and top with crumbled feta. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve!