leftover ricotta version 1-kale dip

after making the spinach and artichoke stuffed shells that were such a hit, i had well over half of a container of ricotta cheese left in the fridge.

i don't know about y'all, but i am awful about buying one ingredient for a particular dish, then letting it expire before i use the rest. i have guilt issues about throwing away all that food!

i was bound and determined to use the rest of that ricotta, so i went on the search for something new and different to try.

the first recipe i found is courtesy of fitsugar.com. it's a kale dip that i made as an appetizer to one of our weeknight dinners, and it is so good! i didn't have any chips on hand, but i did have whole wheat tortillas, which i cut into wedges and baked with some salt until crispy.

here's what you need:

-1 bunch of green kale, leaves sliced, stems/ribs discarded

-half of an onion, sliced

-4 cloves garlic

-1/4 cup water

-3/4 cup low-fat ricotta cheese

-1 1/2 tbsp parmesan cheese

-juice of 1 lemon

-salt

-red pepper flakes

1. put kale, water, onion slices, and garlic in a large pot. begin cooking over medium heat. my pot was a little dry, so i added about another 1/4 cup water to get the greens moving around.

2. in a food processor, add ricotta, parmesan, lemon juice, salt, and red pepper flakes. i added roughly 1 teaspoon of the red pepper flakes, and i honestly didn't taste them that much in the dip. i might add a little more next time.

3. you may wonder if your greens pot will ever cook, but it will! mine looked like this after about 6 minutes of stirring and cooking. once the onions and kale are tender, remove the pot from the burner and let it cool for about 5 minutes.

4. add the kale mixture to the food processor and blend until combined. the dip is pretty chunky (great word, huh?) so it doesn't take much. you can add a little more water here if you need it.