RECIPE: Spinach (or Artichoke) Dip Bites (2 points+)

If you like spinach or artichoke dip and fluffy, delightful crescent rolls, then I believe I have a 2 point treat that will "bowl" you over. These were tasty! My wife knocked it out of the park with this one.

Little, filled bowls of yumminess!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Using a blender or mini-prep, blend all  ingredients except crescent rolls, set aside.  This can also be done by hand, but spinach may be stringy.

Open crescent roll package, but do not unroll or separate.

On counter, gently roll back and forth to smooth out dough.

Starting from the center, cut in half.

Cut each in half again.

Continue until you have 16 equal pieces.

Flatten each piece.

Form in a muffin pan.

Fill each crescent with a heaping teaspoon of filling.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and enjoy.

Feel free to get creative with your bowls! My wife had 2 extra bowls without filling, and I suggested she try filling it with peanut butter and jelly. 2 point PB&J Bites! Now that's what I'm talking about! You could also use some apple pie filling....some Nutella...Cookie Butter...you get the idea. Enjoy.

Ingredients you will need:

1 package Trader Joe's or Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls
2 ounces Light Cream Cheese
4 Tbsp Light Sour Cream
20 grams of grated Romano Cheese (about 1/4 cup)
⅛ tsp sea salt
⅛ tsp garlic powder
⅛ tsp black pepper
⅛ tsp paprika
1 cup chopped spinach (or artichoke), cooked and drained well.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Lightly spray mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Using a blender or mini-prep, blend all  ingredients except crescent rolls, set aside.  This can also be done by hand, but spinach may be stringy.
Open crescent roll package, but do not unroll or separate.
On counter, gently roll back and forth to smooth out dough.
Starting from the center, cut in half.
Cut each in half agin.  Continue until you have 16 equal pieces.
Flatten each piece and form in muffin pan.
Fill each crescent with a heaping teaspoon of filling.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and enjoy.

RECIPE: Artichoke Hummus (1 point+)

This Artichoke Hummus is delicious. I'm not giving a biased opinion just because my wife made it. It really is better than any hummus we have purchased at the store. Not that we go around store to store, on a daily basis hoarding up all the hummus, but you get my point....this tastes great!

Let's get it started.

Gather up all of the ingredients

Ingredients:
1 cup canned artichoke hearts packed in water, drained
1/4 cup fat-free, low sodium vegetable broth
1/4 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1½ teaspoons crushed garlic
½ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon paprika
15 ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed 

The gathering of the ingredients is the hardest part of this recipe. Now that you got that out of the way...let's make some tasty hummus!


Directions:
Put all ingredients except chickpeas in a blender. (My wife used her Stick Blender)

Using a potato masher or a fork, thoroughly mash the chickpeas in a bowl (again, she used her  stick blender). Transfer to the blender. Puree until smooth, stopping and stirring if blending slows.

For best flavor, cover and refrigerate hummus for several hours.

Serve with fresh veggies, pita chips or crackers.

***The artichoke could also be replaced with roasted red peppers, or olives.  Think of this as a universal recipe for hummus, replacing the artichoke with your favorite ingredient! Don't forget to recalculate the points if you use a different ingredient. I can't be responsible for giving olive eaters a cheating loophole! Calculate!

Serves 8 (about 86g per serving or 1/3 cup) = 1 PointPlus

Check out this recipe on Weight Watchers!

Recipe originally posted by Terri Sinclair.