Recipe: Friendsgiving Dip!

Spinach & Green Bean Dip

Let the annual parade of holiday cooking commence! I, for one, welcome it entirely. Last night I attended my first such event, a friendsgiving cocktail potluck. My all time favorite side dish for Thanksgiving is green bean casserole, so I knew I needed to create a cocktail hour hot dip out of it. Taking a somewhat basic recipe for spinach & artichoke dip, I created an entirely different entity. The results, were awesomesauce. Again for mine I tried to use organic/less processed where I could

Ingredients:

1 16 oz bag frozen spinach

1 16 oz bag frozen green beans

1 large (or two smaller) shallot

1 .88 oz bag dried wild

mushrooms (TJ's)

8 oz neufchatel or farmer cheese (low fat organic cream cheese can do in a pinch)

1 11oz container condensed cream of mushroom soup (I used the tetra packed TJ's one)

1 cup fat free (or low fat) shredded mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup chevre cheese

1/8 tsp cayenne

1/8 tsp coriander

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce

coconut oil

*monk fruit packet

*organic spelt bread

Directions:

1. Thaw out spinach and green beans to room temp. I find the easiest way to do this is to never put them in the freezer. When I get them home I refrigerate them and then bring them to room temp when I'm ready to use them. Chop green beans into small 1/2" pieces. Think about a size needed to fit into a Tostito's scoop chip. So...small. Press spinach into colander with the back of a spoon to release extra water. 

2. Pre-heat oven to 450. Chop shallot into small rings, and using about a tbsp of coconut oil, sauté it over med-low heat until it turns a nice golden brown color.

3. While your shallot is sauteing, rinse the package of mushrooms off in warm water, then transfer to bowl. Cover with boiling water and allow to sit for a good twenty minutes to rehydrate. Tip! Save the water or broth that is created! Great for cooking, amazing flavor :)

4. In a food processor, add neufchatel cheese, chevre, mushroom soup, mushrooms (except 5 or 6), shallot (except about 1/8 cup), cayenne, black pepper, coriander, and worcestershire. Pulse until incorporated, then smooth into paste. 

5. In a large mixing bowl place green beans, spinach, creamy mixture, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella, and 1/2 cup of the parmesan. Stir until well mixed. 

6. *At this point just give it a little taste. If a slight residual bitterness remains from the green beans, add about 1/3 a packet of the monk fruit. It may not have that flavor, so this step is purely optional. Stir to mix in. Also take stock of whether you think it needs salt. All the cheeses are pretty salty, so it most likely won't, but now's the time to find out. 

7. Grease a 3 quart casserole with a little coconut oil, fill with contents of mixing bowl. Top with remaining mozzarella, shallot, mushrooms, and parmesan. Bake, uncovered, for 25 min. 

8. *this step is optional and refers to the spelt bread. If you would like hot toasted bread squares, slice bread into about 3" rectangles. (I found the easiest way to do this was to buy a sliced loaf and, 4 or 5 slices at a time, cut vertically into thirds and then horizontally in half.) Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, and toast for about 5 min. Turning once. You can (and it's much easier to) do this at the same time you're baking your dip.

Let it cool for a few minutes (it's hot!) and ENJOY!!!

BKBTY