Yummy Artichoke Dip!

Artichoke Dip! YUMMY! 

Most restaurants offer it as an appetizer and it's almost 

impossible to resist because it's so delicious. 

Of course it's delicious with all that cream cheese, mayo, Romano and Parmesan cheese, mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese and butter! It's served hot with fried tortilla or pita chips for dipping. Artichoke Dip is the perfect comfort food and totally hits the spot when we're hungry!

 Here's the thing about appetizers.....

They can be sort of tricky and we often fool ourselves into believing all the fat and calories in them don't really count.  After all, they're just appetizers - a little something to take the edge off as we wait for our big steak dinner. So, we have our Artichoke Dip teaser and then our steak and baked potato with sour cream. Maybe a side order of creamed spinach. I go to restaurants and steak houses. I know how it's done! Then, we order a slice of some kind of chocolate covered decadence for dessert. We can't possibly say no to dessert.

Ever notice how hard it is to resist no matter how full we feel? 

 It's because we've seduced our taste buds 

with so much fat and they crave more and more!  

That's the thing about seduction......

 So what am I saying? We can never have an Artichoke Dip appetizer ever again? We should be munching on raw carrots and celery sticks while everyone else at the table is dipping their chips into that delightful, hot, melted cheesy goodness? That would be cruel and unrealistic of me to even suggest such a thing!

Artichokes are good for us, but all those other unhealthy ingredients added to Artichoke Dip pretty much destroy most of the artichoke's health benefits. Artichoke Dip certainly isn't the best appetizer to order if we're concerned about better health and weight loss and especially if we ordering entrees that are also loaded with fat. Even if we're sharing the dip with others, it still isn't a great choice. We can try to make a few concessions here and there. Have the dip and then order a lighter entree such as grilled fish with rice and a side of steamed veggies. That's a little better. And skip dessert. Or share it with several other people. We can even ask to have our dessert wrapped and take it home for another day.

What about those times when we really just 

want to pull out all the stops and just go for it? 

Should we? 

If dining out like that is a very rare occasion, I'd say GO FOR IT and then get right back on the healthy eating plan the next day. However, if we're eating in restaurants and ordering food like that all the time, I'd say we definitely need to make some serious adjustments to our meal choices and also consider skipping the Artichoke Dip! 

Don't hate me now! 

I never want to take something away without 

offering something else in its place, so I have an idea!

Maybe, just maybe, if we could make our own Artichoke Dip at home

- A healthier Artichoke Dip -

we might not be tempted to order it out in restaurants as often. 

I have the most delicious recipe for homemade Artichoke Dip. This dip is totally VEGAN (no animal fat), but so rich and delicious and loaded with good things that actually help improve our health and wellness. This dip is so beneficial to our bodies that we can have it as often as we wish. Every weekend, if we want! Serve it with raw veggies or baked tortilla or pita chips! 

Here's the recipe from my friends over at One Green Planet:  Healthy Artichoke Dip

Enjoy!

Wanna learn more about the health benefits of artichokes? 

Read this: Artichokes.Great for Your Health! Perfect for Weight Loss!

Yours in Good Health,
Cynthia
xo