Before actually giving you the spinach dip recipe, let’s see for a moment what makes spinach such a healthy food since Popeye the Sailor Man to this day:
Spinach is a rich source of Calcium and Vitamin K (good for strengthening the bones, thus preventing osteoporosis) and of anti-oxidants such as Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin E and beta-carotene. Anti-oxidants play an active role in combating the free radicals that are so damaging to our cells. While it is true that apoptosis (the programmed death of the cells) is a natural process in the human body, the presence of free radicals will accelerate this process, thus causing premature aging or uncontrolled cell proliferation, which translates as cancer in our day to day language. By destroying free radicals, we preserve our health for a longer time and we delay the natural process of aging. So, Popeye must have known something about the benefits of eating spinach.
And now, our healthy spinach dip recipe:
Preparation time: 15 minutes
No cooking is necessary
Serves 4-6 people (adjust quantities to match your dinner guests number)
Calorie count per serving: 100 (calculated for 6 servings)
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of frozen spinach, thawed and very well drained of water
- 2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
- 1 cup 0% fat plain yogurt
- 1 small onion, chopped very small
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
- Salt, pepper
Preparation:
Chop the spinach small, then mix it with all other ingredients, making sure to add salt and pepper according to your taste. It is very important that you drain the spinach very well, because otherwise the dip will be too liquid. If you want, you can use a food processor to mix everything together, but this will result in a rather creamy texture. If you think it’s nicer to feel small pieces of spinach and onion in your mouth, then don’t use blender, just put everything in a large bowl and mix well with a fork.
Refrigerate for at least one-two hours before serving. You can prepare it the day before and keep it in the fridge.
