Easy Meatless Appetizer: Hot Mexican Dip

As summer comes to a close and we head into fall, a couple important events take place. The first event is the return of football season, and the second is the return of the fall TV lineup, meaning people start spending a lot more time on the couch than they typically do in the summer. Football season and TV shows have another thing in common: they’re both associated with snack foods. From viewing parties to game day, food that’s meant for TV-watching is typically not the healthiest kind. Dips, chips and finger foods tend to be high in fat, calories and sodium, and when you’re focused on watching something on a screen, it’s less likely that you’ll be focused on portion control.

One easy solution to unhealthy snack food is to take your cooking in a vegetarian direction. Foods common to a vegetarian diet such as beans, tofu, tempeh, and meat substitutes are typically healthier and less caloric than their beefy counterparts and can still provide hearty, protein-based snacks. Try this recipe for vegetarian Hot Mexican Dip to see just how yummy vegetarian snack food can be; it uses beef substitute instead of ground beef but it tastes so good you won’t notice the difference. At only 126 calories per serving, however, your waistline definitely will. Cook it up for your next viewing party and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 12 oz package Smart Ground® Original
• 1-1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 16 oz can fat-free refried beans
• 1 4 oz can diced green chilies
• 3/4 cup taco sauce
• 2 cups shredded reduced fat cheese blend
• 1 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1/3 cup green onions
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Crumble Smart Ground® Original into a large bowl. Add chili powder and onion powder; mix together and set aside.
2. Coat a 13 X 9 X 12 baking dish with olive oil. Layer the beans, Smart Ground Original mixture, green chilies, taco sauce and 1-1/2 cups of the cheese.
3. Cover and bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until cheese melts and bubbles around the edges.
4. Cool for 5 minutes. Spread sour cream on top; sprinkle with green onions and remaining cheese. Serve with tortilla chips.

For this recipe and other healthy fall appetizers, or to browse through collections of vegetarian tofu and tempeh recipes, visit www.lightlife.com.