Super Bowl Dips: Bacon, Blue Cheese and Spinach Dip

Here are three more Super Bowl dips that I developed for a Standard-Examiner column. My favorite was the Bacon, Blue Cheese and Spinach Dip. It has protein, dairy, and even veggies in it — a meal on a chip!  And it’s very quick and easy. If you can work a microwave and mix a few ingredients together, you’ve got it. No dirty pots or pans. (Check here for my Seven Layer Super Bowl Dips.)

It’s sounds silly to worry about calories at a chow-fest, but here’s a place where you can trim some fat without getting any weird flavors or texture.  I used reduced-fat sour cream and reduced-fat blue cheese, and pre-cooked, chopped bacon — the type sold next to the salad dressings at your supermarket. Besides not having to deal with the mess and dirty pan of frying bacon, it contains 1/3 less fat.

Two cups of fresh spinach may seem like too much, but it shrinks down when heated.  If you whir the dip in a food processor or with a stick blender, people won’t even know the spinach is there.  But you can also leave it chunky.

Hey, it ain’t health food; but for a Super Bowl party, it’s not so bad.

This dip is great with crackers, potato chips, and even apple slices. A tip: Soak the sliced apples in a little pineapple juice so that they don’t turn brown while sitting on the buffet table.

I switched up the usual Rotel queso dip by using cream cheese instead of Velveeta. Not because I’m worried about the supposed Velveeta shortage (I think that was actually a publicity stunt), but because I think the Velveeta can overpower the chiles.  This recipe uses cream cheese made with Greek yogurt, which boasts two times the protein and half the fat of regular cream cheese. And unlike fat-free cream cheese, it melts pretty well.  (You could use Neufchatel cream cheese, with 1/3 less fat than regular cream cheese, as it also melts OK.) My recipe is pretty mild; to bump up the heat, use the hot version of Ro-Tel and jalapenos instead of mild green chiles.

But if it just isn’t a Super Bowl around your house without a Velveeta-based dip, I included a Cheesy Chili Dip that only takes a few minutes in the microwave. I added lots of chiles to dilute some of the saltiness from the no-beans chili and the Velveeta. So don’t add any more salt!

BACON, BLUE CHEESE & SPINACH DIP

1 16-ounce carton sour cream

1/2 cup pre-cooked, chopped bacon

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped in thin ribbons

1 tablespoon chopped dried onion

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Microwave for 2 minutes and stir. Microwave an additional 2 minutes and stir again.  Allow to sit for an hour or two, or refrigerated overnight, for flavors to blend. The bacon adds a lot of saltiness on its own, so taste the dip just before serving before adding any salt. If dip seems too salty, thin it with a little milk or sour cream.

Puree with a stick blender or in a food processor, or leave chunky if desired.

QUESO DIP

1 8-ounce package cream cheese & Greek yogurt (or reduced-fat cream cheese)

1 10-ounce can Ro-Tel tomatoes and chiles, original

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, optional

4-ounce can of diced green chiles

Place cream cheese, tomatoes and chiles in a microwaveable bowl.  Microwave on high for 1 minute; stir. Cream cheese may still be lumpy. Microwave on high another 30 seconds and stir until cream cheese is smooth and well-blended with chiles.  Stir in the cheddar cheese until blended. Add cilantro. Serve at warm or room temperature.  Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

CHILI CHEESE DIP

1 can no-bean chili

8 ounces Velveeta cheese product, in large cubes

10-ounce can Ro-Tel chiles and tomatoes

1 4-ounce can mild green chiles (or jalapenos for more heat)

Mix all ingredients together in a large microwaveable bowl.  Microwave for 2 minutes on high; stir. Microwave again for 2 more minutes, or until cheese is completely melted. Stir to blend. Serve hot.