Fit Fare

During this time of the year there seem to be so many reasons to get together with friends and celebrate. There are bridal showers, baby showers, birthdays, and summer holidays. The list goes on and on.

One of my favorite party foods is crawfish dip. I was introduced to this appetizer at my own bridal shower back in Louisiana by one of my bridesmaids. It breaks one of my food rules about using processed foods in recipes, but the end result is so good that I turn a blind eye on this one. I couldn’t find one of the main ingredients, Rotel, at my “way up North” supermarket, so I substituted an equal amount of Barilla’s Spicy Pepper Sauce (jarred pasta sauce) and added hot sauce and Creole seasoning at the end. The original recipe is from Holly Clegg’s A Trim and Terrific Louisiana Kitchen cookbook.

Crawfish Dip

yields about 4 cups 

1/4 c light margarine
1/4 c flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can 99% fat free cream of mushroom soup
1 (10 oz) can chopped tomatoes and green chiles (Rotel is traditional)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb crawfish tails, rinsed and drained
Melba rounds

In a skillet, melt margarine, add flour and mix well. Add vegetables to the flour and margarine mixture and saute until tender, stirring constantly, to prevent sticking. Add mushroom soup and chopped tomatoes and green chiles; mix well. Add seasonings. Gently stir in crawfish tails. Cook until dip is thoroughly heated. Serve warm with melba rounds.