Oscar Night Dips

Oscar night, my favorite night! Fashion, movies, and a great excuse to sit on the couch and eat! I made two different dips that are very simple, and pack a ton of flavor.

Baked Goat Cheese in Tomato Sauce

1- 4oz. package goat cheese
Favorite Tomato Sauce ( I used the "Rao's Famous Marinara Sauce")
Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
Baguette
garlic clove
olive oil

Slice the bread into 1/2 inch slices and place on a baking sheet. Place under the broiler and brown each side of the bread slices (crostini). Take clove of garlic and rub vigorously on one side of each of the crostini. Brush each crostini lightly with olive oil.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place goat cheese logs on the bottom of an oven safe small baking dish and then pour the hot tomato sauce over top until it almost but not quite covers the cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes or until bubbly and hot. Place each dish on a larger plate and surround it with the crostini. serve hot.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

 

1 can artichoke hearts (about 9 ounces), defrosted and well drained

1/2 Cup fresh spinach, chopped

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup Monterrey jack cheese shredded (I used mozzarella)

¼ part skim ricotta cheese 

8 ounces package reduced fat cream cheese 

½ tablespoon lemon juice 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

¾ teaspoon salt 

½ teaspoon pepper

Don’t worry about exact amounts for this recipe. If you can only find artichokes or spinach in slightly smaller or larger amounts, that’s fine. I like to use fresh ingredients because I feel like I am getting more nutrition, but you can use frozen spinach & artichoke hearts. Just make sure they are fully defrosted and completely dried. (Use a strainer & Paper towel)

Preheat the oven to 350. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. (I use a hand blender to combine all the ingredients)

Pour the mixture into an oven-proof dish or casserole. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until heated through and just starting to bubble.

Remove from the oven and let it cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve hot or warm with thin slices of baguette, raw vegetables, baked tortilla chips, or crackers.

Chef's note: I wasn't going to use all of the Artichoke-Spinach dip so I put it in the freezer. It saves great and make for an easy last minuet appetizer.

Enjoy!