Lean Paula Deen: South of the Border Mason-Dixon Dip

It's time to kick-off this blog with a recipe that is simple and delicious! For this, I have chosen Paula's South of the Border Mason-Dixon Dip from The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook (1998). Last night was my first stab at this recipe and I can say it was a success! It was so easy, so quick...and so good!! We may have found another football season favorite.


SOUTH OF THE BORDER MASON-DIXON DIP

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

One 15-ounce can Hormel TURKEY chili with beans
2 cups grated 2% sharp Cheddar cheese
3 green onion tops, chopped
Two 8-ounce packages FAT FREE cream
cheese, softened

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the chili in a saucepan over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Press the softened cream cheese into the bottom of a 1.5 quart casserole dish. Pour the heated chili over the cream cheese and sprinkle the grated cheddar over the top. Bake for roughly 20 minutes or until it is hot and bubbly. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the chopped green onions. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.

RESULTS:

Follow the original recipe directions using my ingredient suggestions. These tiny changes cut the fat in this recipe drastically! In just the chili alone, you are now looking at 3 grams of fat per serving as compared to 7 grams. The lighter cream and cheddar cheeses save about 3 grams of fat per serving. To trim a little more, I served the dip with Snyder's Restaurant Style tortilla chips. These tasty tortillas have only 5 grams of fat per serving instead of 7-9 grams in other chips. There is also the Baked Tostito option, but I don't think those are as yummy. Snyder's taste more like the real thing.

So what did my fan club have to say? My hubby and little girl thought it was outstanding! Although I just got a "mmmmmm" from the little one, I know she loved it. Here are some suggestions that I am going to try next time: add hot sauce into the chili, dice tomatoes to sprinkle on top,and layer jalapenos on top of the chili.


So there you have it! My first Cookin' Lean Like Paula Deen recipe. Try it out and let me know what you think!

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving): 239.17 calories;  7.01g fat;  15.34g carbohydrate;  26.11g protein;  2.22g fiber