Healthy 3-Ingredient Spinach Artichoke Side Dish

Creamy, rich flavor in a side dish you can feel good about feeding your family! I love it when healthy tastes good! 

What makes this recipe over-the-top on the must-make-again scale is that it has just THREE ingredients. You can whip it up in about 10 minutes! Seriously!

Here's the starring line-up: Neufchatel cheese, marinated artichoke hearts, and frozen chopped spinach! That is it!

Healthy, 3-Ingredient Spinach Artichoke Side Dish

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

16 ounce package frozen chopped spinach

1 cup of marinated artichoke hearts, drained slightly

4 ounces Neufchatel cheese (cream cheese works), cut into 1/2-ounce chunks

Directions:

1. Place artichoke hearts in a blender or food processor, and pulse until chopped small--almost a puree.

2. Cook spinach in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until defrosted. Add chopped artichoke hearts to spinach and increase heat to medium-high, stirring often. 

3. Once boiling, add Neufchatel cheese, reduce heat to low, and cover.

4. Cook 2-4 more minutes, stirring cheese in as it melts.  Serve warm.

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Creamy Kale Dip

Do you like spinach dip? I'm a total sucker for it. I have had spinach dip as the main course for some of my eat-alone meals (with sides of tortilla chips, crackers, and carrots).

But as good for us as spinach is, it has been trumped. Move over Spinach; Kale is the new Super Food in town.

I don't know about you, but I've had a harder time with kale.  Spinach is delicious with virtually no work. It can hold it's own in fresh salads. Kale tends to be bitter and tough. It kind of HAS to be cooked or steamed. I've tried making kale "chips"--where you drizzle fresh kale leaves in olive oil and roast them in the oven. They were edible, but hardly competition for any other "chips" I've eaten. 

So I am SUPER excited to share a version of kale consumption that is not just tolerable, but down-right enjoyable. And it is super easy to make. You don't even need to tell anyone it is kale until they've raved about how yummy it is. 

My idea began with this. Look for it in your grocer's freezer section. It is inexpensive and cuts so much work out of preparation.  All you need to do is cook the kale according to package directions. Drain and cool.

Add one package of Knorr Vegetable Recipe Mix, 1 cup of mayo, and one cup of sour cream. Mix well and store in the fridge for about an hour before serving.

We ate ours with chopped veggies (red bell peppers, cucumbers, jicama, and carrots), and tortilla chips.

 It doesn't taste exactly like spinach dip. But it doesn't taste like any kale recipe I've ever had either. It is better. It is perfect to serve at football game parties, book clubs, baby showers, or just to snack on for the heck of it!

Creamy Kale Dip

Makes about 4 cups

Ingredients:

1 12oz package chopped frozen Kale

1 1.4 oz package Knorr vegetable recipe mix

1 cup mayonnaise 

1 cup sour cream

Directions:

1. Cook kale on stove according to package directions. (Note that it cooks longer than most veggies--about 20-25 minutes of simmering). Drain well, and cool.

2. Mixed drained kale with remaining ingredients. Cover and put in fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. 

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Parmesan and Scallion Roasted Asparagus

Asparagus is in season, which means not only is it in abundance, but it is typically a pretty good deal at the supermarket. And it should continue to be for a few months.  

Asparagus is one of the few veggies I didn't grow up eating. We ate a variety--okra, rutabaga, beets, and all kinds of squash--but I never once remember eating asparagus. I've asked my parents about this, and one of them (my dad, I think) had only ever had canned asparagus, and so determined he didn't care for it. As a result,  my mom never made it. I think they eat it often now, though. 

Despite my childhood deprivation, I LOVE this vegetable. I actually started a patch of it in the garden of our old house. Hopefully the new owners are reaping the benefits of my labors.  My favorite way to prepare asparagus is roasting it. And this recipe is a fail-safe favorite. The stalks are tender, but not slimy, well-seasoned, and pretty to present. 

Here's the how-to, followed by the recipe:

Cut woody ends off asparagus stalks. In a large bowl, toss together asparagus, scallions, oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and shredded Parmesan cheese.

Spread coated stalks on a roasting pan. Scoop up the scallions and cheese that are left in the bowl and spread across the top of the asparagus.

Here they are, ready to go in the oven. Roast at 450° for 15 minutes. 

Serve warm. Asparagus are one of the few foods that are appropriate to eat with your fingers. Did you know that? I still use a fork sometimes, though. 

Parmesan and Scallion Roasted Asparagus

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh asparagus 

1/4 cup avocado oil (olive or canola work, too)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Pinch of ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3 scallions (green onions), chopped

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°. Chop tough, woody ends off the asparagus stalks. I usually take about 2 inches off. 

2. Toss all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, completely coating the asparagus in the oil and spices.

3. Spread the asparagus in a row on a large roasting pan. It is okay for them to touch and overlap some.  Scrape the bowl for the excess scallions, cheese, and oil. Spread this across the top of the row of asparagus.

4. Bake 15 minutes. Remove immediately, and serve promptly.  

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