Potlucks. I love them and I dread them. I LOVE them because you get to sample lots of different creations and they can be a food lover’s paradise. I HATE them because there is usually little to none in the healthy food department and I NEVER know what to bring!
I typically like to go healthy, although my husband will usually roll his eyes at me and tell me not to (especially for family functions). However, today we have a potluck at work and I absolutely wanted to bring something healthy. This way, I know there is at least SOMETHING on the menu for the calorie conscious (moi).
I’ve made mistakes before by over eating or showing up famished to a luncheoon. I’m hoping not to make them this afternoon and practice better self control. I encourage you to check out my tips for avoiding a caloric nightmare at your next luncheon! I’ll tell you what I did WRONG and show you how to avoid the same faux pas!
Now on to the recipe. I thought about bringing the mango-avocado salsa I made yesterday, however, I needed something new for the blog! I’ve made this lightened up bean dip on several occasions and usually it’s a huge hit. When I brought it to the last work potluck, the dish was literally licked clean! Hallelujah! A plus? Nobody has to know it’s healthy!!
So here you are folks, a healthy potluck recipe that is surely going to WOW the crowds! Thanks to Cooking Light for this AWESOME recipe! I take ZERO credit!
Step 1: Spray dish with cooking spray and mix refried beans, cumin, and lime juice together. Spread into dish evenly and add a layer of salsa. Combine corn and green onions (olives are optional), sprinkle over salsa layer.
Step 2: Add a decent layer of shredded low-fat cheese. I happened to be out of Mexican blend or cheddar so I opted for part-skim mozzarella!
Close up shot!
Step 3: Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Then add a layer of sour cream and sprinkle with freshly chopped cilantro. It's just THAT easy! I have also used the dish without baking it first and it still turned out great (it's just more challenging to spread the sour cream!)
Cooking Light’s Party Bean Dip
12 servings (1/2 cup of dip + 4 tortilla chips)
Directions:
- Combine refried beans, cumin, and lime juice in a small bowl and spread evenly in to a dish sprayed with cooking spray.
- Spread a layer of salsa over the beans.
- Combine corn, green onions, and olives in a small bowl and sprinkle mixture over the salsa.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly.
- Let stand ~10 minutes and spread a layer of sour cream.
- Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with tortilla chips or veggie sticks!
Cooking Light makes their own tortilla wedges (which are included in the following nutritional profile). Check out their website for the recipe!
Nutritional Profile: 162 calories, 5.6 g fat (2.4 g sat.), 6.8 g protein, 23.3 g carbohydrate, 2.8 g Fiber, 13 mg cholesterol, 331 mg sodium, 143 mg calcium
I’m like you, I love potlucks, but I hate them at the same time. Sometimes I feel like I need to “keep up” with my colleagues, but doing that is so difficult! I like to just have bites of everything, not 3 large plates full. I’m trying to listen to my body more and my body never tells me to pig out! I try to bring healthy dishes to any get together, so I do have something I know I can eat. This recipe looks perfect! I’m a big fan of beans dips.
Pot lucks are such fond summer memories. I always fear the various colored jello’s with floating fruit and cottage cheese… so gross!
Taco dip is my favorite!
I love bean dips — this looks so delicious!
yum, i definitely want to try this!
Oh gosh, I have the same problem with potlucks. & of course, all the people I potluck with are incapable of appreciating healthy food as much as a good old batch of deep-fried things, so I end up disappointing. I also eat in advance so that I’m less tempted to go for too much stuff I’ll regret later. Thanks for sharing this with all of us who may have a similar problem, I’ll keep it stashed away for next time =).
P.S: I love discovering new blogs too, will be sure to keep up with yours!
~Kurious Kitteh
Yummy recipe love dipping things and more with sour cream
Cheers,
Gera
This dip looks great! I always like bringing healthier food to pot lucks because I am guaranteed to enjoy something
Looks simple and delicious! Hope you get some tasty and healthy other eats there too.
that looks so good! and etsy is like heaven!!
Yum! That looks delicious! I love dips, and yours looks like one that won’t break anyone’s diet. =)
I love dip, I could eat dip every day with veggies and this looks so good!
Dips always seem popular at Potlucks, this looks great!
I’m pretty impressed with the nutritional profile given that the serving size is 1/2 a cup. I’ll have to bookmark for the next time I want to make a dip!
I usually end up bringing a salad to a potluck, most commonly spinach, mango, goat cheese, avocado, red onion, sunflower seeds with a homemade vinaigrette. I do it for the same reason you do – so there’ll be at least ONE healthy thing to eat!
I love potlucks these days. I do have friends that will always have some health minded items though so I can get a balance of treats and veggies usually. I used to freak about potlucks though when I wanted everything to be “perfect”.
Ooooh that looks awesome! I love all things “dip.” I am definitely saving this recipe to try.
Ohhh what a great idea! We always have bean dip at office parties but they are the premade kinds and usually SO unhealthy. I always pretend theres meat in the beans so i can’t eat it, but this is an awesome sounding alternative!
oh YUM! I might make this to bring to a cookout tomorrow night- thanks! It looks like a crowd pleaser
Yummy!! I totally hear yah on the potlucks!! I am always the girl that brings vegan cupcakes, or some healthy dish to counter all the unhealthy dishes! It’s tough though bc you want something that everyone enjoys and they wont know its healthy!!
Oh, and for the Sweet potato hummus, I have seen cheaper bottles of tahini, its all about the brand name…if you still don’t want to use it try cooking and mashing up some Garbanzo beans, I bet that would be really tasty
oh my gosh, this dip is right up my ally! holy yum!
Who doesn’t love a good dip at a party? This lighter option is colorful and should pack a flavor punch.
A healthy party bean dip? Delicious! I love dips too, but I always get frightened by the mayo and sour cream that inevitably follows. I love how this recipe uses lite sour cream. Thanks for sharing!