Creamy Feta-Spinach Dip

Hope you all had a wonderful evening last night bringing the new year- however it was you chose to celebrate it. As to be expected, ours was pretty low key, but a really enjoyable one. Since I'm pregnant, obviously going out wasn't of interest to me, and going somewhere that required a babysitter seemed silly, so I was really happy to get an invite to spend it, family style, with some of our dearest friends at their home. They have two young children, and there was another couple there that have four, so when you count Beckett, their were more kids in attendance than adults. It made me feel incredibly grown up, but I guess it's time to face that that is very much what I am these days!

We had a really fun time, and there was no shortage of good food. I even got to try brisket for the first time. Like my friend, Jamie, who made it, I'm no beef eater, but I have to admit it was delicious. For my contribution, I brought a dessert, stuffed mushrooms and some crudites and dips. One of the dips I brought was a new recipe to me, a Creamy Feta-Spinach Dip adapted from Cooking Light. Not only is this tangy dip really pretty healthy, it's a very tasty alternative to your traditional Spinach-Artichoke Dip. Plus it's an easy, make ahead dip, so it would be a great addition to your appetizer table for the upcoming Super Bowl.

I served this with bell pepper, carrots and celery sticks, pretzel chips, Triscuit Thin Crisps and crostini. (And in case you are wondering what that other dip is, it's an old stand-by we call "Emily Dip" and it's always a crowd pleaser. I just mix about equal parts Neufchatel Cheese with light sour cream, and add light ranch dressing and cayenne pepper to taste.) I thought the two dips balanced each other out well, and the selection of dippers complimented both nicely. I love yummy dips, so I will definitely be making this one again soon.

Happy New Year!

Creamy Feta-Spinach Dip
adapted from Cooking Light via My Recipes

olive oil mister or cooking spray

3 cups packed fresh baby spinach

1 cup low-fat plain yogurt

1 cup crumbled fat free (or reduced fat) feta

1/2 cup Neufchatel Cheese (1/3 less fat cream cheese)

1/4 cup light sour cream

2 cloves garlic, smashed (or one if you prefer a less strong garlic flavor)

1 tsp dried dill (or 1 tbsp fresh)

fresh ground pepper

Remove and discard any thick stems from spinach and coarsely chop. Mist or spray non-stick skillet very lightly with oil and heat over medium. Add spinach and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Place several layers of paper towels onto a plate, and spoon yogurt over top about a half inch thick. Cover with additional layers of paper towels, and let stand 15 minutes, changing top layer of towels halfway through.

Scrape drained yogurt into the bowl of a food processor using a rubber spatula. Add feta, cream cheese, sour cream and garlic, and process until smooth, scraping the side of bowl with the spatula once. Remove blade and stir in cooled spinach, dill and ground pepper. Once mixed, transfer to small serving bowl, cover and chill before serving with assorted dippers of choice. (I'd like to note that I liked this even better after it had been out of refrigeration for a little bit.)