Tag Archives: artichoke

Better-For-You Artichoke and Green Chile Dip with Cottage Cheese

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Name your top three favorite hot party dips. Chances are a creamy artichoke dip is among the ranks. Creamy, cheesy, and comforting, it’s become a beloved classic in American cuisine, often served at parties, sporting events, and casual get-togethers.  I’ve made a better-for-you Artichoke and Green Chile Dip with Cottage Cheese that still offers that same indulgent vibe, but with a much more mindful nutritional profile.

Better-for-You Artichoke and Green Chile Dip with Cottage Cheese is a comforting snack and party appetizer, perfect for football season, the holiday season and upcoming get-togethers.

However, it’s often made with high-calorie, high-fat ingredients such as cream cheese, sour cream and/or mayonnaise. But, I’ve found that swapping in blended cottage cheese makes an ideal healthy substitution for many of these ingredients. You still get a cheesy, smooth result, but an artichoke dip with less fat and calories – plus with more protein!

 In fact, blending cottage cheese for recipe is one of my favorite healthy hacks to reduce fat and bump up protein. Also, it’s a simple solution that helps me avoid the curdy cottage cheese texture that I personally find a little off-putting.

Blending cottage cheese until creamy smooth is a healthy hack that can replace higher calorie and fat foods in recipes, plus it offers a protein boost!

To me, blended cottage cheese is very similar to ricotta cheese and is a smart swap in so many sweet or savory recipes for every meal of the day – I’ve made dozens!  If you like this Cottage Cheese Artichoke Green Chile Dip, I’ll let you in on these two easy pasta recipes that use cottage cheese:

Easy Alfredo No Boil Pasta Bake – One Pot!
Spinach & Cottage Cheese Gnudi (Naked Ravioli) – Fast & Easy Vegetarian Meal!

Wondering about the nutrition on this Green Chile Artichoke Dip? It’s still ooey-gooey and low-carb but has only 84 cal, 5g carbs, 3.4 fat for a generous-sized, approximate 1/3-cup serving! Plus, you get 7.5g protein with that!

Better-for-You Artichoke and Green Chile Dip with Cottage Cheese is a comforting snack and party appetizer, perfect for football season, the holiday season and upcoming get-togethers.

Serve this cottage-cheese based dip with veggies, pita chips, pile in wrap or potato! We used our leftovers on pasta tonight, delish!!!

Fun fact, I’m a Hatch Green Chile Champion  🏆


Note: You can sub canned green chiles, but I am kind of a Hatch green chile snob and either blister my own on the grill or buy them prepped and straight from the source via my favorite Hatch chile farms in New Mexico.

5 from 5 votes
Better-for-You Artichoke and Green Chile Dip with Cottage Cheese is a comforting snack and party appetizer, perfect for football season, the holiday season and upcoming get-togethers.
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Better-for-You Artichoke Green Chile Dip with Cottage Cheese
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 
Course: appetizers, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: artichokes, cottage cheese, dip, hatch green chile
Servings: 9 1/3 cup servings
Calories: 83 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1/3 cup chopped fire-roasted Hatch green chiles or can sub a 4-ounce can, drained well
  • 1 12-oz jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (reserve 2 tsp. liquid)
  • 1 cup 2% cottage cheese
  • 1/2 cup 0% plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 1/2 tsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup fresh-grated Parmesan cheese divided
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Chop up chiles, removing seeds Beforehand. Drain and Chop artichokes (save 2 tsp jar liquid).

  2. Set aside. In small blender, add Cottage cheese, yogurt, lime juice, lime juice, garlic, reserved artichoke "juice", salt and pepper and blend until smooth.

  3. Pour yogurt mixture into 3-cup capacity baking dish.

  4. Add ½ cup Parmesan, artichokes and chiles into mixture, stir well. Top with remaining ¼ up Parmesan.

  5. Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes, until bubbling and lightly browning on top.

No-cook Tomato Artichoke Pasta & Wildgrain Box

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Out of necessity, I’ve been minimizing my time in the kitchen this summer. The last couple months has been such a record-breaking scorcher that it’s been too hot to grill outside and even climbing into the sunbaked car to grab a meal out is unappealing.

But, one can only live on so many salads and charcuterie boards for dinner. What I really craved was a homemade pasta dinner (with dreamy noodles and warm bread) with that “I spent all day in the kitchen” taste without actually spending all day in the kitchen. Basically, SHOW ME A SHORTCUT!

My recipe for No-cook Tomato Artichoke Pasta (jump to recipe) came to the rescue served on fresh, hand-cut pasta from Wildgrain. Wildgrain is an amazing subscription box that sends artisanal pastas, breads and pastries to your door that are frozen and ready to prepare in a flash – no more than 25 minutes from freezer door opening to your mouth opening for the first bite!

Check out the video inspo for this recipe!

No-cook Tomato Artichoke Pasta involves absolutely no-simmering to turn out a flavorful tomato “sauce” for pasta (or even to top on fish, chicken or bruschetta). It’s based on an Italian uncooked tomato sauce pasta recipe called “Pasta Alla Checca.” Zero cooking, except for prepping the fresh noodles from Wildgrain on the stove top, which only takes 6 minutes. The tomato-artichoke sauce mixture gets “warmed up” as it is immediately stirred into the drained hot pasta. Basically, the pasta does the sauce heating – this puts new meaning into “using your noodle.” Lol!

Used fresh freezer-ready fettuccini from Wildgrain!

I used the season’s sweetest tomatoes plucked from my backyard. You could use any medium-sized variety of tomato such as Roma tomatoes – they are meaty, not overly juicy/easy, and easy in most markets. Then all that’s to be done is chopping tomatoes up very finely along with marinated artichokes, basil and garlic to create a fresh, light sauce that’s a lovely way to top off noodles and top off these long, long days.

For even more of a shortcut, you can make the raw chunky tomato artichoke sauce ahead and keep chilled in the fridge in a Mason jar for a couple days. Use on pasta or pile on crusty bread with mozzarella and stick under the broiler. Or toss into your egg scramble – so many uses!

Save $30 with code THEFITFORK (offer thru 8/30 . . . then it’s $10 off)

So let me tell you a little more about my new obsession, the Wildgrain Subscription Box (which BTW, you can save $30 on your first order with code THEFITFORK). Every month (pause or cancel at any time), I get a frozen shipment of tender pastas, artisan breads and pastries delivered to my door. All the labor-intensive work has been done for me – the dough has been hand-cut, the breads have been proofed, and the pastries prepped. Plus, no mess was made at my house, lol! All I do to enjoy these delights is place the breads straight oven or drop pasta into a pot, straight from frozen – no defrosting of anything needed meaning you can truly rely on Wildgrain for last-minute meals.

Other things I appreciate about Wildgrain: They use clean, non-GMO ingredients and their fermentation process provides benefits you won’t find at the grocery store. Items are always shipped free in and eco-friendly box and recyclable stay-cold packaging. Plus, they also support small bakeries and responsible source products from some of the best bread and pasta makers around the country. Honestly, I can taste the talent and love that goes into these breads, pastas and pastries.

Here’s a peek at what you get in a “mixed” box, although some contents will vary from month-to-month to keep those taste buds tantalized!

July Wildgrain Mixed Box: Plain Sourdough Loaf, Cranberry Pecan Sourdough Loaf, Everything Sourdough Loaf, Fettuccine Pasta, Tonnarelli Pasta, Peach Pie Bites, and free Croissants. 

Free croissants for life! Don’t miss this deal!

*Oh, and did I mention that if you order Wildgrain by the end of July, you get a free four-pack of croissants with every order “for life.”  Remember to use code THEFITFORK to save $30. These buttery, flakey, crescent-shaped pastries are truly heaven straight out of the oven.

Whip up a fresh fit meal in minutes with this easy, no-cook pasta sauce that features tomatoes, marinated artichokes, garlic and feta cheese - plus a little EVOO. It's tossed with hot noodles that warms it up! A delicious summer dinner! Used pasta from the Wildgrain subscription box, save $30 with code THEFITFORK at http://bit.ly/Wildgrain
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No-cook Tomato Artichoke Pasta | Pasta alla Checca
Prep Time
4 mins
Cook Time
6 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 

Whip up a fresh fit meal in minutes with this easy, no-cook pasta sauce that features tomatoes, marinated artichokes, garlic and feta cheese – plus a little EVOO. It's tossed with hot noodles that warms it up! A delicious summer meal!

Course: dinner, dinner, entree, Pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: 10 minute meal, artichokes, fetuccini, pasta, summer, tomatoes
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. fresh tomatoes about 3 to 4 medium
  • 3/4 cup marinated artichokes
  • 3 tbsp chopped basil
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 12- oz package fresh pasta
  • ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
  • Optional: garnish with additional chopped basil
Instructions
  1. Finely chop tomatoes and artichokes.
  2. Scrape into bowl along with any seeds and liquids that came out while chopping.
  3. Add chopped basil, minced garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil to bowl; stir to toss.
  4. Set tomato mixture aside to marinate while making pasta.
  5. Boil water in a large pot and cook pasta according to package instructions.*
  6. Drain pasta in colander and add back to pot while still hot.
  7. Pour in tomato mixture from bowl and toss around to coat pasta.
  8. Divide among 4 plates and top with crumbled feta cheese. Garnish with additional basil, if desired.
Recipe Notes

*The pasta I used from Wildgrain is put frozen into boiling water and cooks in 6 minutes.

Garlic Basil Roasted Baby Artichokes

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I know spring is on the way when I see baby artichokes at the market!  They are so adorable, and a bit more tender that more mature vegetables. Garlic Basil Roasted Baby Artichokes

I’m sharing an easy-peasy, spring breezy recipe for Garlic Basil Roasted Baby Artichokes that you can have on the table in under 20 minutes as a side dish or plant-powered appetizer. Read on for all the details. Continue reading →

Crowing About Parmesan Roasted Sunchokes — Tastes Like Artichoke Dip!

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Parmesan Roasted Sunchokes are warm and crunch and taste like artichoke dip!You might walk right past Sunchokes in the market, they are knobby, gnarly and not a vegetable that jumps out with color and leafy flash and says “buy me, buy me!”  Some call this tuberous root a “Jerusalem Artichoke,” however they are not at all related to the artichoke – although they do have a strangely similar taste that could be described as a little sweet, a little nutty and quite crunchy when served raw. It’s super simple to slice Sunchokes up thinly and sprinkle on a salad.

Sunchokes are a tuberous root also called Jerusalem Artichokes .

Another easy way to prepare this unusual veggie is oven-roasting — what root or tuber doesn’t benefit from a toasty turn under high, dry heat?! I toss Sunchokes in olive oil, garlic and Parmesan cheese and the final result is a cross between oven fries and artichoke dip! OMG, so good and so much healthier than the traditional party-night artichoke dip that has a ton of cheese, mayo and other heavy ingredients.

Crow Pose - TheFitFork.com

I like to try new things, it makes life more exciting! Like learning the crow yoga pose earlier in the year and getting up enough nerve to balance on a picnic table! Sunchokes can be an exciting and unusual addition to your healthy diet (they are obviously gluten-free, Paleo friendly and are low on the Glycemic Index making them a good choice for diabetics.  Sunchokes are also a great source of iron, potassium and thiamin. They are also low in calories (60 calories for 4-ounces) and high in fiber. If you want to learn more about Sunchokes or can find them at the store, just ask your produce manager – or check out Friedas.com for nutritional information and more recipes.

Parmesan Roasted Sunchokes - TheFitFork.com

Parmesan Roasted Sunchokes –  OMG, Tastes Like Artichoke Dip! #Fitfluential #Recipe

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Have you ever tried Sunchokes? What did you think? Share in the comments!

 

Parmesan Roasted Sunchokes - TheFitFork.com
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Parmesan Roasted Sunchokes
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 
Sunchokes (aka Jerusalem Artichokes) are easy to oven roast with Parmesan and garlic, making a delicious and healthy side dish in less than 30 minutes. Serve with the dip of your choice as an appetizer or alongside a burger!
Course: Side Dish, Vegetable
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 pound Sunchokes scrubbed and sliced into 1/3" chunks
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese finely grated
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Scrub the Sunchokes under cold running water and slice 1/3-inch thick.
  2. Add Sunchokes, garlic and olive oil to bowl and toss until coated. Add Parmesan cheese and shake bowl until
  3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, or until Sunchokes are turning golden brown on the outside and tender inside.

A Real Breakfast! Artichoke & Spinach Blue Cheese Baked Eggs

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This year I plan to start off every morning (okay, most mornings) with a healthy breakfast served on a real plate. I usually stay up too late and always wake up before dawn, making me so groggy and disoriented that the best I can often do for sustenance is a grab a protein bar or slurp a smoothie. While protein bars and smoothies are actually quite nutritious options for grab-and-go fuel, I aspire to slow down enough in the morning to actually have a conversation with the kids, give some attention to the dog, tune into current events (what year is this?) and enjoy a morning meal with all my senses. Then, after being properly fed, I can hit my errands, workouts and to-do list hard!

outdoor WOD

Pretty sure some eggs were eaten before (and maybe after) this workout at Ladybird Lake!

The incredible, edible egg is always one of my top choices in real breakfast food. Even on the busiest weekday mornings, it really doesn’t take that long to whip up a quick scramble or even microwave a 1-minute ramekin omelet.  With just a little planning on Sunday night, a big breakfast casserole can be baked ahead and portioned out for the rest of the week. I plan to be a better planner – I promise!

Blue Cheese artichoke spinach eggs

This is a gorgeous recipe for Blue Cheese & Artichoke Baked Eggs I created for the blog at Lighthouse Foods. Typically baked eggs are doused in heavy cream before sitting in the oven, but I reduced the fat in this type of egg dish by using the company’s OPA Blue Cheese Greek Yogurt Dressing which is, not surprisingly, light, tangy and healthy! Served in individual gratin dishes, this healthy egg recipe is elegant enough to serve to company. Please visit the Living Litehouse blog for more gorgeous photos, but today I’m going to treat you to the full recipe right here, right now!

Blue Cheese & Artichoke Baked Eggs Recipe

  • Baking spray
  • 3 to 4 ounces washed baby spinach
  • ½ cup Litehouse Food’s OPA Blue Cheese Dressing (so good!)
  • 2 Tbsp diced red onion
  • 1 Tbsp sipped fresh chives
  • 16 grape tomatoes
  • 1 (7.5 oz) jar of quartered marinated artichoke hearts
  • 8 large eggs
  • 2 oz blue cheese crumbles

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Lightly spray 4 ramekins or 2 gratin dishes with baking spray. Divide spinach evenly among dishes.

3. Drizzle even portions of blue cheese salad dressing over spinach and sprinkle with red onion.

4. Slice grape tomatoes in half and drain liquid from jar of artichoke hearts. Place tomatoes and artichokes around perimeter of dishes.

5. Gently crack egg over top of spinach mixture, taking care not to break yolk. Repeat for remaining 3 ramekins. If using 2 larger gratin dishes, use 2 eggs per container. Sprinkle tops with chives.

6. Place dishes on a rimmed baking sheet and place on center rack of oven. Back for approximately 20 minutes or until egg whites have set and yolk has achieved desired level of doneness.

7. Remove from oven and sprinkle tops with an even portion of blue cheese crumbles. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

 

egg skilled with beef eggs potatoes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My “Top of the Sirloin” Steak, Sweet Potato and Breakfast Bake is a proven winner, especially with my Paleo pals who can’t seem to get enough! I love how cheerful the sunny-side up eggs look atop this dish which is sautéed, baked and served in a country cast iron skillet.

thefitfork turkey spinach egg sandwich

Why not ditch the drive-thru and make your own yummy sunrise sandwich at home? My Spinach, Turkey & Egg Breakfast Sandwich offers loads of nutrient dense ingredients. Cook up the egg anyway you like – scrambled, poached, fried or in the handy-dandy Hamilton Beach breakfast sandwich maker!

jennifer fisher - thefitfork.com steak egg avocado sandwich

Oh, and I can’t forget the Steak, Egg & Avocado Breakfast Sandwich – the day will be a win-win-win thanks to these three powerhouse ingredients.