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Thursday, May 10, 2012

Tuscan Spinach Dip

Okay, so I got this amazing Cookbook for Christmas called Top Secret Restaurant Recipe's #3 and it has some of the most amazing recipes from some of my favorite restaurants!!!

One of my newest favorites is The T.G.I Friday's Tuscan Spinach Dip of course with some modificiations.

Ingredients:
1 10 oz box frozen chopped spinach, thawed (I used about half a bag of fresh, chopped)
1 6 1/2 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, and chopped (1/2 cup)
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp diced onion (I didn't use)
1 tbsp diced red bell pepper (I didn't use)
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup shredded Romano Cheese
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese (I just bought the mexican pizza blend and used about 3/4 cup for both cheeses)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt
pinch ground black pepper

Garnish (If wanted, I didn't)
1/2 tomato, diced
1 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
1 tsp minced parsley

Directions:
1.   Steam spinach and artichoke hearts in a steamer basket over boiling water in a covered saucepan for 10 minutes. ( I don't have a steamer basket and since I used fresh spinach I just put the chopped up hearts and spinach in a saute pan and added butter and lemon juice ( a couple squirts) and sauted them until they were warm (about 5 min.))
2.  In another medium saucepan heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium/low heat. Add the diced onion and bell pepper and saute for 3 to 4 minutes, until onions begin to turn translucent. (since I didn't use onions or peppers I just added the following to the pan with the spinach and artichoke hearts) Add spinach and artichoke hearts, plus cheeses, cream, garlic, salt, and pepper to the pan with the sauteed onion and peppers. Cook over medium/low heat, uncovered, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the cheeses are melted and the dip is hot. Stir occassionally.
3.  Spoon the dip into a heat proof serving bowl and garnish with diced tomato, shredded parmesan cheese, and minced parsley. Serve with chips or crackers on the side. (They were so good with Wheat Thins and Triscuits.)

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