Q. My family is trying to eat more beans. Do you have a teen-friendly bean dip you can share with us?
A. Can anything truly be teen-friendly? Just kidding. Actually I have a couple of preteens at my house, and this bean dip was a big hit. It is such a cinch to make, my kids have even mixed it up for themselves.
You can mix up a batch and spoon some in individual microwave-safe custard or coffee cups, cover them with wrap and keep in the refrigerator. When teens get hungry, they can just pop a serving into the microwave for a few minutes until the bean dip is hot and the cheese is melted.
To keep this bean dip as healthful as possible, I use light cream cheese, reduced-fat Cheddar and Jack cheeses and fat-free sour cream. I also like the vegetarian and fat-free canned refried beans. I bumped up the hot pepper sauce by a few drops.
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Creamy hot bean dip
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Yield: Makes 3 1/2 cups
1/2 cup light cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup fat-free or light sour cream
1 can (16 ounces) vegetarian or fat-free refried beans
1 tablespoon packaged taco seasoning mix
5 drops hot pepper sauce
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Blend cream cheese, sour cream, refried beans, taco seasoning, hot pepper sauce, parsley, green onions, and half of the shredded cheeses until smooth in a mixing bowl.
2. Spread mixture into a greased 8-inch-square baking dish; top with remaining cheese. Bake until bean dip is hot and cheese is bubbling, about 20 minutes.
Nutrition information per 1/8th of recipe:
175 calories, 41% of calories from fat, 8 g fat, 4.9 g saturated fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 14 g carbohydrates, 12 g protein, 705 mg sodium, 3 g fiber
