It’s a lovely spread which can be easily converted into a dip. There will be barely any leftovers because it tastes incredibly delicious. It is easy to make and goes extremely well with veggies, pretzels or can be eaten on their own. It is surprising to know how the flavors come together, filling the aroma in the kitchen. By the end of the dish you will see a smile on the faces of everyone.
Health benefits
A crucial ingredient of the Tuscan spread, cream cheese is considered to be a healthier alternative to butter. If you are trying to lose weight, you should make healthy decisions when you include cream cheese in your diet. There are plenty of calories, sodium, potassium, cholesterol and protein which will help to regulate the body. However you should be careful not to overeat because they do have artery clogging properties because of some quantity of saturated fat. As is the same case with every other dish, you should eat it in moderation to prevent negative side effects.
Ingredients
ounces of cream cheese, softened: 8
tbsp of chopped garlic: 2
tbsp of salt: 1
can of artichoke hearts, should be chopped and dried: 1
cup of black olives, finely chopped and diced: 1/3
green onions, diced: 8
ounces of sun dried tomatoes, chopped and softened: 4
cup of parsley, chopped: 1/4
chopped fresh chives: 1 tbsp
How To Make Tuscan Cream Cheese Spread
- Mix cream cheese, garlic and salt in a medium bowl.
- Add in artichokes and olives.
- Add green onions, tomatoes and parsley to the bowl and mix together.
- Refrigerate this mixture for several hours to blend the flavors.
- If you find that the mixture has become too thick, stir on the artichoke juice to thin it out.
- Set this aside to cool it at room temperature.
- Serve with crispy bread and enjoy!
Trivia
- The most popular brand of cream cheese in the US is Philadelphia, which boasts production as early as 1872 in New York. It was William Lawrence, a dairy farmer who added cream to Neufchatel and found a way to mass produce the cream cheese.
Since then it has gained so much popularity that by March 2014, around 74% of Americans had cream cheese I their households. According to statista.com more than 245 million Americans used cream cheese in 2017.