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Dueling Chili Dips
 Posted by Michelle Butler Feb 5 2012, 10:39 pm in cooking, Holidays, Michelle Butler, Michelle Mondays, recipes As a New England girl, I am sad about the results of last night’s Super Bowl Game. I’m not sad though about the fun party I went to and the yummy, snacky food served. I did put a lot of thought into the food I was going to bring. When I think favorite snack foods and appetizers, one of the first things that come to mind are tortilla chips, salsa, guacamole, and nachos. Through the years, my mom has been pretty famous for a couple of nacho dips she always brings to parties. They can be pretty high calorie though. The one I wanted to bring was her chili dip. It is two packages of cream cheese smoothed out in an 8 X 8 or 9 X 9 dish. You top it with a can of chili, a layer of scallions and shredded cheese. Bake it in an oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, and it’s yummier than the sum of its parts. The calories from the cream cheese and cheese can really add up – not to mention the ones from the chips – so I put some thought into how to make it lower calorie without sacrificing taste. I used one package of cream cheese instead of two. I made a pretty yummy homemade chili from a Weight Watchers recipe and used three cups of that. I kept the scallions and added a layer of salsa. I then used reduced fat, shredded, 4-Mexican cheese mix as the topping instead of full-fat cheese. The fabulous boyfriend bought whole-wheat tortilla chips instead of the regular ones. And, we brought a yummy hot dish that everyone loved and did not complain about the healthier touches we had added to it. I also brought an oatmeal chocolate square cookie cake to celebrate the fabulous boyfriend’s birthday. That might have gotten more praise than the taco dip, but one’s birthday comes only once a year. Did you make any food for a super bowl party? What did you make? Did you try to make it healthier or choose to have an occasional indulgence?
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12 Responses to “Dueling Chili Dips”Leave a Reply |
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Michelle, I think my sister makes the chili dip like your mother. It’s so delicious but it seems very fattening. Okay for a once in a while indulgence though.
Hubby was watching the game in solitude so I experimented for dinner. Made a yummy chicken breast poached in coconut milk. I tossed it with oranges and served it on a bed of spinach. Healthy, refreshing and so delicious! I’ll include pictures and a recipe on one of my upcoming blogs.
I don’t really have cause to make the taco dip that often, but I do really like it. The next time I make it I’ll probably use low-fat cream cheese. I had some regular cream cheese leftover from some baking, so I just used that.
Weight Watchers’ recipe of the day yesterday was for a “creamy” Mexican dip that used non-fat Greek Yoghurt. It looked really yummy, and I think I’ll try that some time.
The chicken sounds yummy. Did you use regular coconut milk or low-fat? I think the full thing is pretty deadly – from articles I’ve read.
Michelle,
That’s one of the things I’ll be tackling in the “Bad is good” series. Apparently that’s not true about it being so deadly. The fat from coconut (as long as it’s not homogenized) raises only the good kind of cholesterol.
I’m sad your Pats didn’t win too, Michelle. *sigh*
The chili dip sounds yummy – and I love your healthier version of it too.
I always use low fat cream cheese and mix it with low fat yoghurt or creme fraiche to keep the richness. Similarly, I use low fat cheese or mix low fat cheese with a really strong cheddar, to keep the flavour.
Does mixing the low fat cream cheese with yoghurt or creme fraiche work when you pake it?
I have heard the advice to use limited amounts of strong, regular cheese for added flavor too. I’m actually not wild about cheese. I like it, but I don’t love it like lots of people seem to do. I think in the future I’ll cut back on the amount I use as well.
pake is supposed to be bake. Ugh on the typo!
It works fine. In fact, it melts more evenly and has a creamier consistency.
We make that chili dip too! And like you – with one brick of low fat cream cheese and low fat cheddar on the top.
It’s good to know that you have used the low fat cream cheese, and it’s fine. I’ll try that next time!
Sounds like some very good adjustments, Michelle.
I haven’t tried to the wheat tortilla chips yet. How do you like them?
I really liked them! I was surprised how much. I don’t tend to eat tortilla chips “straight”. They’re a tasty, crunchy conveyance for the salsa and dips. I do need to look at the nutritional information to see if they really are an improvement to regular tortilla chips.
Maybe I’ll check them out next time I’m at Kroger and do a little nutrition label comparison.