This part of my life began when my very sick partner was diagnosed with Celiac. Even the slightest exposure to gluten can make him very ill for several days, so I have pursued gluten-free options with thorough aggression. In the U.S. a recent surge of gluten awareness means we have more choices than ever, but it still means hunting and analyzing and tracking down parent companies. After several years now of doing so, I want to share my tricks and tips with others who are still struggling.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Hot Spinach-Artichoke Dip (Gluten-Free)

This is a party-size recipe and can expect to cover a dozen or more people at the "dab on a plate with chips" size serving. These ingredients are all "to taste". Personally I like to overload it with spinach, but your mileage may vary.

16 oz cream cheese (or neufchatel)
2 cups of milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup frozen spinach (or 8oz fresh, cooked down until well wilted)
1 cup coarse-chopped frozen or bottled artichoke hearts
Extras (optional)*

Heat the cream cheese and milk together in the microwave at one-minute intervals, stirring between, until softened.

Use a whisk or fork to whip the cream cheese and milk together until smooth

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir together*

Heat again at 1 minute intervals, stirring between, until hot.

Serve with corn chips, Nut Thins, GF pita, celery, or whatever else makes a good scoop.

Note that if you're looking for a good tapas, you can hard-boil some eggs, cut them in half, discard the yolk and fill them with this dip.  This gives you a fancy, gluten-free, finger-friendly appetizer. 

*At this stage you could add extra flavor with some pine nuts, red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, asiago cheese, garlic, smoked Paprika, etc.  The base is tasty on its own, but you can have a lot of fun personalizing it. 

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