Dish lightens it up for entertaining

Jennifer Fox of the locally based food blog The Svelte Gourmet and website, www.thesveltegourmet.com, recently e-mailed a recipe she created with healthy holiday eating in mind.

"I'm trying to prove that you can make it through the holidays without falling off the diet wagon, so to speak," she says.

We're all for that, coming off Thanksgiving and heading into dangerous December.

Here is her au gratin dish, perfect for seasonal entertaining, which she says weighs in at 80 calories per 1/2 cup.

Serves 12 (1/2 cup servings)

Ingredients

18-20 ounces quartered artichokes (frozen or canned and drained -- not the marinated kind)

1 (16-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed dry)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup skim milk

1 egg

2 ounces light cream cheese

2 tablespoon light sour cream

3/4 cup shredded, grated or ground Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided use

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 ounce prosciutto, roughly chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roughly chop artichoke hearts and combine with spinach and garlic in a casserole dish. In a separate bowl, combine milk, egg, cream cheese, sour cream, 1/2 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper. Beat with an electric mixer until cream cheese and egg are mixed in well. Pour mixture evenly over casserole. Mix remaining 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano with the panko and sprinkle over casserole. Top with prosciutto. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until top just starts to brown and the prosciutto crisps.

Teresa Taylor is the food editor. Reach her at 937-4886.