It’s time to dilute the flooding of no bake chocolate fudge, protein chia macaroons and double chocolate protein cookies with something savoury.
Do you have friends? I do. Not many but we do. Do you have those friends who think everything tastes better with butter and cream? I do. Love them! Great people!
So a couple of weeks ago me and Alex invited the butter-cream friends over for dinner. Besides making cilantro lime BBQ ribs, rosemary roasted potatoes and a crisp watermelon & feta salad, I made this Skinny Shrimp & Feta Spinach Dip.
This one…
Juicy pieces of shrimp, salty feta cheese, creamy Greek yogurt, fluffy cottage cheese, chopped frozen spinach and of course garlic.
Like the butter-cream friends think highly of butter, I think everything tastes better with garlic. That makes me a true Ukrainian girl, I guess. Not the pig fat (salo) but garlic!
If you are trying to stay away from dairy products then don’t make this dip… now. Make it later. But you have to make it!
Even the pickiest of your butter-cream friends will love it and if they do not appreciate the lightness of this dip, your waist will. Win-win. Great success!
Typically these kind of dips are made with cups of mayo. As you may know from the no mayo cheesy hot spinach dip recipe, I do not use mayo. You won’t miss it in this skinny shrimp and feta spinach dip. It’s full of flavour without the extra calories.
I served the dip with Mary’s gluten free brown rice organic crackers – the best crackers in the whole world!!! Mary now makes pretzel sticks and cookies too. You got my heart Mary! Even the pickiest butter-cream friends loved the crackers! Try! I buy a huge box at Costco for $8.
I recommend serving this sexy pink dip a little bit warmed up. Just microwave it for a minute of two. Feta cheese will melt a little bit releasing more flavour and merrying all ingredients together.
Don’t be afraid to make the dip the night before. That’s what I did and it tasted even better the next day. But here is a MUST TO DO if you decide to go that route. You have to clearly indicate to all your family members that it’s a big “no-no” for tonight. I had to save it once from Alex. But he is a quick learner and after 12 years together he knows happy wife=happy life equation really well. Love him! I married a great guy!
I used cooked frozen shrimp with tails off. Less work. Two cups frozen shrimp will equal approximately 1 cup defrosted and water squeezed out. Make sure to really squeeze out the water with your hands from shrimp as well as from spinach.
Use light or regular feta; non fat, 1% or 2% cottage cheese. I honestly don’t make big deal out of it. This is not the fat that makes you fat. Actually it’s even not the fat that makes you gain fat.
So I used 2% cottage cheese and regular feta. That’s what I had this time in my fridge. Still healthy.
I wrote in March I’m trying to eat less of animal products for health reasons. It’s a whole separate topic. I feel better and it’s so much healthier to eat less meat and dairy. But occasionally I make dips like this shrimp and feta dip and enjoy every bite of it! I work hard on my body and deserve an occasional treat. And you deserve it too! Because you work out at least 3 times a week and eat clean, right?! If not then that’s what you should be doing otherwise you wouldn’t end up on my blog today. You were looking for it, you are thinking about it and that’s how you ended up here. So stop wishing and start doing!
The recipe makes 3.5 cups. Might seem a lot, so cut it in half. I had 6 adults indulging in the dip and it was all gone. Be the boss of your dip! Just like when you make YOUR cookie. Make it your way!
Be the boss of your fridge, health and life. Remember it’s totally up to you when it comes to what you put in your body and how you work it out. Don’t put garbage in, work out hard and you will see results!
And by all means, invite friends over, make this dip, have a glass of wine and relax. Don’t be too hard on yourself but don’t be lazy!
Cheers,
Olena
Ingredients
- 1 cup cottage cheese, non-fat, 1% or 2%
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese, light or regular
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, non-fat
- 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach
- 1 cup cooked shrimp, roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- Ground black pepper to taste
Directions
- In a medium size bowl combine cottage cheese, feta cheese and Greek yogurt. Mix well to combine.
- Defrost spinach and squeeze out liquid using your hands. Add to the bowl along with shrimp and garlic. Mix well and adjust freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 7
Amount Per Serving = 1/2 cup:
Calories: 101.4
Total Fat: 2.1 g
Cholesterol: 45.8 mg
Sodium: 573.9 mg
Total Carbs: 4.2 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.0 g
Protein: 15.9 g
WW Points+: 2