A Healthy Recipe- Spinach Artichoke Dip Made With Kefir

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healthy spinach artichoke dip.jpg#KefirCreations #CollectiveBias

As a part of being pregnant, I am naturally attracted to decadent foods right now. Give me frozen custard, cheesy carbs, and nachos. Spicy chicken fettucine pasta with a side of loaded mashed potatoes. Deep dish pizza with every topping under the sun. I seem to go on food benders where I can’t get enough of all my fatty foods for a couple days and then I reign it in for a while. Lately, I’ve been trying to think of how I can control my cravings with something a touch healthier that will still hit the spot. That’s how I came up with the idea of using Lifeway Kefir to make spinach artichoke dip! 

healthy spinach artichoke dip 2Here is the recipe I came up with, hot and fresh out of the oven! 

Healthy Kefir Spinach Artichoke Dip
a healthier way to enjoy this delicious appetizer!
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Ingredients
  1. 14 oz. can of artichoke hearts (drained)
  2. 10 oz. of frozen chopped spinach (drained)
  3. 8 oz. of plain kefir
  4. 1 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella
  5. 1/4 cup chopped green onion
  6. 1 clove minced garlic
  7. 3 tablespoons chopped red pepper
  8. salt/pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients besides the chopped red pepper. Make sure to properly drain the artichoke hearts and the spinach. You may have to press the spinach to really get the liquid out. Bake all of these ingredients at 350 for 25 minutes. When done, sprinkle with your red pepper. Serve with crackers or a baguette!
Notes
  1. For a creamier version, combine 4 oz. of plain kefir with 4 oz. of cream cheese in this recipe!
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It’s safe to say the star of the show was Lifeway Kefir. If you’re not familiar, kefir is like the smoother cousin of yogurt. It comes in many different flavors. I used plain for this recipe, but I saw many other fruity flavors when I was grocery shopping. Lifeway Kefir contains 12 live and active Probiotic cultures that support the immune system and balance digestive health. It’s naturally gluten free, 99% lactose free, and contains no artificial sweeteners. For those who are concerned about GMO’s, it is free from those as well. Don’t forget to check for a coupon before you shop!

lifeway kefir.jpgThis specific recipe is healthy choice that still hits the spot for me. It’s not as rich and creamy as some of the thicker, fattier, spinach artichoke dips can be, but that’s why I like it. What’s great is that you can sub out some of the kefir for cream cheese to make it thicker, and you can add more cheese or garlic if you tend to like those flavors. Just make sure to properly drain everything or you’ll end up with spinach artichoke soup! 

kefir spinach artichoke dip.jpgMaking this dip really got me excited about kefir. My daughter is in a very picky food stage right now and besides milk and juice and a couple select go-to foods, I am having a very hard time getting her to choke anything down. She is in a stage where she will look inside the fridge when it’s open and point at the things she wants to try. She pointed to the bottle of plain kefir, and I let her try it. She didn’t like the plain, but I have faith that when I pick up some of the flavored kefir on my next grocery trip, that it will be a hit. 

Have you tried kefir? Would you use it in a recipe?

 

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30 comments

  1. 7.21.14

    That sounds so yummy!

  2. 7.21.14
    BeautyJudy said:

    I haven’t tried kefir, but I need to try that recipe so I might soon!!!

  3. 7.21.14

    That looks sooooooo yummy!!! Totally trying this out! Love that you made it a easy recipe to print too.

  4. 7.21.14
    Allison @neversaydiebeauty said:

    Interesting idea to use kefir and mozzarella instead of mayo and sour cream. I love the blueberry kefir but have never tried the regular

  5. 7.21.14
    Phyrra said:

    I love spinach and artichoke dip

  6. 7.21.14

    This sounds delicious!

  7. 7.21.14

    Looks super yummy. I may have to give it a try!

  8. 7.21.14
    Aleya Bamdad said:

    I love spinach artichoke dips but hate the calories. I’ll be sure to try this.

  9. 7.21.14
    Betzy Carmona said:

    This is probably one of my favorite appetizers ever ! I will have to try out this recipe

  10. 7.21.14

    YUM!! I love spinach and artichoke dip! Will bookmark for a party I’m going to later on.

  11. 7.21.14
    Eugenia said:

    YUM YUM YUM! Get in my tummy!

  12. 7.21.14
    Anastasia said:

    Yummm! That recipe looks delicious!

  13. 7.21.14
    Pammy Blogs Beauty said:

    oooooooh! I am so hungry now, lol. This dip looks amazing!

  14. 7.21.14
    Ange said:

    Super yum!! Adding this to our dip menu!!

  15. 7.21.14

    yummmmm

  16. 7.21.14
    cindyprimebeauty said:

    Looks yummy!

  17. 7.22.14

    I’ve enjoyed flavored Kefir. I wouldn’t have thought to use it in a dip, but I think it would be great with half cream cheese. I love cream cheese.

  18. 7.22.14
    Mai said:

    Oh yummy yummy, I love spinach and artichoke dip!

  19. 7.22.14
    FabZilla_Kath said:

    Nom, totally trying this out. Thanks for sharing your yummy recipe

  20. 7.22.14

    Spinach dip is one of my favourite things in the world. This is a very unique take on it.

  21. 7.22.14

    oh my gosh…I just got hungry.

  22. 7.22.14

    That looks amazing!

  23. 7.22.14

    Yum! This looks great!

  24. 7.22.14

    I would never have thought to put Kefir in a dip! Great recipe!

  25. 7.22.14
    Norah Salazar said:

    That dip looks so yummy!

  26. 7.22.14

    Yours is surely much healthier than mine, mine is naughty… but it looks delish and sounds delish so I’m gonna try it.

  27. 7.22.14
    Cosmetic Sanctuary said:

    Oh YUM!!

  28. 7.24.14
    GlitteryGlossy said:

    I love Spinach Dip, thanks for the recipe!

  29. 7.18.18
    MP said:

    Tried this recipe over the weekend. Didn’t have any cream cheese, so just piled on the cheese.. Also, didn’t have any spinach, so subbed it out for fresh arugula I cooked down before adding all the other ingredients. Definitely easy, and great way to get the dark leafy greens in.

    I was originally drawn to this recipe because I too wanted to utilize the kefir in a a savory dip. However, now I’m wondering, doesn’t the high temperature of the oven just kill off the probiotic cultures?

    I ended up using a higher fat kefir, which, in terms of fat content, is probably not too different from sour cream, if not fattier…

    I think I’ll probably just stick to sour cream and cream cheese next time as the seemingly only benefit of using the kefir is negated at the end. Thanks for the yummy recipe anyways! It was a good go and rediculously easy!!

    • 7.26.18
      justina said:

      I hadn’t even considered that the benefits would be gone after nuking it in the oven! Doh!

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