Spinach DIp

When mom came home, she brought 2 small tubs of spinach dip from Trader Joe's. She said that it was her latest addiction. So when both containers were found in the dish washer, I know I had to find a recipe that was similar to Trader Joe's. After a couple of trials, I finally was able to find one that is if not exactly the same, it was the closest it could get.

It is a pretty easy recipe to follow. This may be served with baked pita chips, Nachos or vegetable sticks.

The Ingredients:
1 10 oz frozen spinach, defrosted or 500 grams fresh spinach
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon dill, chopped
1/2 teaspoon onion salt (if this is not available, add 1/4 cup finely chopped onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt*)
1/4 cup spring green onions, minced
1 8oz. water chestnuts, drained, minced or 1 cup singkamas, minced
1/4 cup parsley, minced (optional)

Cooking Procedure:
For fresh spinach: Remove spinach leaves from stems and clean over running water. Blanch the fresh spinach leaves for a minute to two, if there are no precooked spinach available. Take out from the heat and place it in an ice cold bath (a bowl of cold water with ice) to stop the cooking process.

Squeeze out the excess liquid from the leaves then loosen them over a towel. Make the sure the towel has absorbed most of the leaves' moisture. Once they have been fully drained, chopped the leaves finely and place in a bowl along with the rest of the ingredients.

Mix all ingredients together and chill for at least 4 hours. Serve cold with chips or fresh vegetables.

My Notes:
I add the salt last so I could control the amount of sodium added into the recipe. I add a pinch or 1/8 teaspoon at a time.