Recipes: South of the Border Artichoke Dip, Curried Vegetable Dip, Dilly of a Dip

South of the Border Artichoke Dip

Makes 2 cups.

This is a Southwestern version of our favorite baked artichoke dip. Bake the dip in an attractive ceramic dish since it goes straight from the oven to the serving table. For a dramatic garnish, place blue corn chip triangles in the dip around the edges of the dish after baking. The addition of cottage cheese and using reduced-fat Cheddar cuts 60 percent of the fat without cutting down on flavor.

1 (14-oz.) can artichoke hearts

1 (4-oz.) can diced green chiles

1 c. finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (reduced fat, if desired)

½ c. cottage cheese (1-percent milkfat)

1 tsp. bottled minced garlic

½ tsp. chili powder

½ tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. hot sauce (or more to taste), optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Stir in the Cheddar, cottage cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, chili powder, cumin and hot sauce until well-blended. (The dip can be refrigerated at this point for up to 3 days.)

To bake, spray a 9-or 10-inch baking dish with 1-to 2-inch sides with nonstick cooking spray. Place the dip in the dish and bake for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve at once with tortilla chips or bagel chips for dipping.

Nutrition information per 1 tablespoon serving:

Calories 30

Carbohydrates 2 g

Fat 2 g

including sat. fat 1 g

Cholesterol 3 mg

Sodium 88 mg

Dietary fiber 1 g

Makes 1¼ cups.

The 1980s version of this dip, commonly found in community cookbooks, contained a base of mayonnaise. The 1990s version used sour cream. We've updated it for today with nonfat plain yogurt, which leads to a dip that has less than a gram of fat per tablespoon. Fresh, good-quality curry powder is the key to this dip's exotic flavor. The flavor intensifies after a day in the refrigerator. This dip goes well with all kinds of fresh vegetables.

1 green onion (for 2 tbsp. minced)

1 c. nonfat plain yogurt

2 tbsp. light mayonnaise

1 tbsp. curry powder

Rinse and finely mince the green onion, using enough of the green tops to make 2 tablespoons. Place 1 tablespoon of the minced onion into a 2-cup or larger container that has a lid. Set the remaining minced onion aside.

Add the yogurt, mayonnaise, chili sauce and curry powder to the container with the onion. Stirr until well-combined. Serve at once, garnished with reserved green onion, or refrigerate up to 3 days.

Nutrition information per 1 tablespoon serving:

Calories 15

Protein 1 g

Fat 0 g

including sat. fat 0 g

Cholesterol 0 mg

Sodium 43 mg

Dilly of a Dip

Makes 1 cup.

Just reading the ingredients for this dip in a cookbook would never have enticed us to make it. But we tasted a similar version at a party, and just had to have the recipe. Thankfully, it's a breeze to make in less than 5 minutes. The distinctive flavor of dill goes especially well with pretzels and sliced cucumbers. It's also good dolloped on smoked salmon on party pumpernickel slices.

½ c. light mayonnaise

½ c. light sour cream

1½ tsp. dried dill weed or 3 tbsp. fresh dill

Stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard and dill weed in a 2-cup or larger storage container that has a lid. (If using fresh dill, mince finely, avoiding tough stems.) Serve at once with pretzels or sliced cucumbers for dipping, or refrigerate up to 4 days.

Nutrition information per 1 tablespoon serving:

Calories 38

Carbohydrates 1 g

Fat 3 g

including sat. fat 1 g

Cholesterol 3 mg

Sodium 108 mg