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Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Fluffy Artichoke Dip
When I was a strictly raw foodie, one of my favorite parts of raw cuisine (well, perhaps second only to the most incredible raw marinara sauce that I was almost tempted to spoon straight from the food processor, pretending it was gazpacho), were the delightfully healthful desserts one could make from the simplest of ingredients, wielding magic with dried fruits, nuts, and cocoa powder to create everything from dainty candies to smooth and fudgey brownies (please do visit CookieMouse's blog for several incredible posts on nourishing raw desserts!
Imagine my horror, then, when I arrived in class this morning to find our professor distributing recipes for a delightful concoction that I would have termed fruit and nut truffles - except she had named them laxative balls!
The recipe was as follows:
Take equal parts raisins, dates, dried figs, prunes, and sliced fresh plums, and puree in the food processor. Shape into balls, roll in chopped nuts, and refrigerate until firm.
Sounds delicious, right?
Well, it did, at least until our professor added the caveat: "encourage your patients to consume 1 to 2 laxative balls for medicinal purposes daily."
Talk about taking the joy out of food!
Personally, I prefer "try this delicious recipe for a raw fruit candy. It's full of nutrients and fiber, and makes the perfect snack when you're craving something indulgent and sweet!"
But that's just me. ;-)
I also prefer homemade spinach and artichoke dip. (Yes, I know, that was a random transition, but a rainy Tuesday lends itself to stream of consciousness...) If you've been to any of the multitudinous chain mid-level restaurants in the States, I'm sure you've seen spinach and artichoke dip on the menu. Various concoctions range from vaguely green thick glop that looks like it was just oozed out of a large, pre-made bag (and it probably was), to delightful assembliges of chunks of artichoke heart bathed in parmesan. None of the above mentioned versions are remotely "light," however, and the nutritive value of the artichokes hardly redeams the saturated fat consumed with every spoonful. Eeek! And while I'm all for the occasional indulgence, I also fancied creating a more healthful version that we could serve on a regular basis if we were throwing a dinner party or just wanted a pre-dinner nibble while we cooked a leasurely weekend supper.
Hence, our own artichoke dip was born... Pureeing it completley provides lots of creamy, fluffy texture without the mountains of cream, and its flavor is very fresh and pure - with only 4 ingredients!
Fluffy Artichoke Dip
4 oz fat free or light cream cheese (depending on how light you want the recipe to be)
3/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
~ Puree all ingredients together in a food processor until light, fluffy, and well blended.
~ Season to taste with salt and pepper.
~ Serve with crackers, baked corn chips, or raw veggies... I like mine on whole wheat matzah, and Zach insists that whole wheat matzah tastes like cardboard, and perfers his on Ritz crackers! :-)
Your professor named the recipe Laxative Balls?!??! Way to ruin one's appetite, haha ;0)
ReplyDeleteLooooove homemade dips!!
Astra, this is too easy and too good looking to not try...I'll let ya know!
ReplyDeleteAstra, just made it (with a few additions) and it's goody!
ReplyDeleteHa that was a great story :) What kind of class is this that a professor bring in recipes. I know it's medical related, but that's still so cool.
ReplyDeleteLove the artichoke dip too. It takes only a few mins to throw together, and I bet you can change up the flavors to whatever you want too :)
I haven't tried anything like this dip before. It sounds good! Although I think the fruit balls sound good too!
ReplyDeleteLooks awesome delicious!
ReplyDeleteVeggieGirl, I agree - dips rock! :-)
ReplyDeletePeter, I am SO delighted that you tried the dip! Please do tell all about your additions - I'm sure they are scrumptious, and I'd love to fix your version next time!
Adam, thank you for looking on the bright side - I was so shocked at the horrible title of "laxative balls" that I almost forgot how cool it was that she brought a recipe in the first place! :-) The class was Medical Surgical Nursing, which doesn't usually come with recipes, so it was a nice surprise! :-)
Holler, than you so much! I think the fruit balls sound good too... :-)
Big Boys Oven, many thanks!
Calling them "prune balls" would have sufficed. ; }
ReplyDeleteGreat and simple dip recipe. I'm now thinking of making it as a hostess gift in a pretty crock when we go visiting for the holidays. Thanks for the tasty idea.
Looks yummy! I will have to give it a go.
ReplyDeleteAstra, did you not like my version of your dip?
ReplyDelete