Healthier Spinach Artichoke Dip

Every weekend the Mister and I make a dip to enjoy while we watch movies, catch up on our favorite shows, or play games. I usually make your typical cream cheese salsa dip, but I've found myself wanting to try other dips. I'm one of those people that can't have the same thing too often, otherwise I get bored with it. So, I decided to look around online to see what interesting dips there were out there. Now, I know what you're thinking, "Kristin, spinach artichoke dip isn't anything new." While you would be correct, the dip is sort of new for me. You see, way back when, like eleven and a half years ago, I was a new bride trying to figure out how to cook. I had seen a recipe for spinach artichoke dip, probably on the Food Network channel and decided to make it. BIG mistake. HUGE! I remember that the dip consisted of a lot of mayonnaise, not something I usually ate because I was a Miracle Whip kinda girl. Come to think of it, considering the jar of mayo I put in the dip... it was probably a Paula Dean recipe. Anyway, while I was slightly grossed out by the mayo ratio in the dip, I had high hopes that I was going to impress my husband with the most fabulous, luxurious appetizer I've ever made. Fast forward an hour or two and The Mister came home from work to find all the window open, the oven turned off with the dip still inside, and me locked into our bedroom, nauseated from the smell. Needless to say, the dip went right into the trash and I spent the night curled up in the fetal position chomping on Tums. Ever since then, I've steered clear of anything resembling this dish... until now.

Now one thing that sets this one apart from that disastrous dip many moons ago is that this one doesn't have any mayo. None. Zero. Zilch. In fact, the creamy white base is yogurt and cream cheese... two things that I love. Two things that when they are heated up, do not make me nauseous. Now, as you see in the pictures, this recipe make a LOT of dip. It's insanely delicious and you will have no problem eating it all. However, if you made a New Years resolution that doesn't jive with eating a whole thing of dip, maybe invite some friends over. I served my dip with sliced bread but you could make this even healthier by slicing one of those huge carrots you see at the grocery into thick strips, and also eating it with celery.

• 8 oz reduced fat cream cheese
• 16 oz (2 cups) plain, non-fat yogurt
• 2 Tbsp margarine (or butter)
• 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese*
• 14 oz artichoke hearts (not the marinated ones) , drained and coarsely chopped
• 1 japapeno, diced (remove the insides and seeds of jalapeno if you don't like spice)
• 10 oz frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1. In a medium pot over medium heat, melt together cream cheese, yogurt, margarine and parmesan cheese, uncovered, stirring frequently until melted and an even consistency. It should start to bubble lightly.
2. Stir in coarsely chopped artichoke hearts, jalapeños, and drained spinach. Finally, stir garlic cloves. Let it bubble for a few minutes and it's done.

*if you are a vegetarian, look for a vegetarian parmesan cheese.