LOW-FAT CHICKEN DIP sounds like an oxymoron but if you use white chicken meat and low-fat everything else, you’re cheesy chicken dip will be as low fat as it can be. It’s still a dip and it does contain cheese but if you used the full fat variety you’d have a kallion more calories. My motto is, ‘save calories where you can without wrecking the dish’.
My girlfriends and I love to get together for a yack session, with the coffee table groaning under the weight of all our snacks. We usually do potluck and test new snack recipes on each other. We’ve been doing this for years. Our younger selves never worried much about calories or indulging on a Tueday night. Now that we’re over fifty, we think about it. Not in a ‘nothing-but-carrot-sticks’ kind of way but with more of a ‘be-aware’ attitude. Our portions are smaller, we tend to eat more veggie dishes and we drink less wine sometimes. Our time together is just as wonderful but with a few less calories. I think the secret is to not make it an issue. It is what it is. We all know we’re getting older. It’s common sense to pull it in a little where you can. Then when you have a big splurge, it’s no biggy.
I think the old adage, ‘everything in moderation’ is the perfect solution to ensuring that my girl friends and I will always be able to enjoy our snack-filled week night gabs without feeling like we’ll need several weeks with a personal trainer to combat what we ate.
Chicken Cheese dip – Low Fat / Mexican Style
Preheat oven 350*F
2 cups plain non-fat Greek yogurt
½ cup hot salsa
7 ounce can diced green chiles
½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
3 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup part skim mozzarella, shredded
½ cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
THE STEPS:
- In a large bowl whisk together the yogurt, salsa, green chiles, salt and spices.
- Fold in the chicken and mozzarella.
- Spoon into a baking dish, cover with aluminium foil and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven, remove foil and top with the Monterey Jack cheese.
- Place the dip under the broiler until the cheese is lightly browned.
- Serve with tortilla chips.
THE LOVE: To save time, I used a grocery store roasted chicken. The breast meat was enough for the dip and I used the rest for sandwiches.
Thanks for reading.
photography by michelle
