January Game Day Food Focus...Featuring Cajun Baked Shrimp and Corn Dip #gamedayfood #bakeddip #shrimp #corn #lessfat

After a 16-week regular football season...it's officially NFL playoff time! Our Houston Texans won their division and will be playing this weekend. An occasion this awesome calls for a very special game day appetizer! My Cajun Baked Shrimp and Corn Dip is warm and cheesy...and I made a few strategic tweaks so it fits in with my post-holiday healthy eating goals. No one who tastes this dip will guess this recipe has less fat and calories than my original recipe!

This hearty, big-flavor dip is assembled and baked in the same cast iron skillet -- which streamlines your prep, cooking, and cleanup. That's a win! This appetizer features a creamy base that's accented with corn kernels, chunks of shrimp, green onions and celery, spicy seasonings, and a bit of melted reduced-fat cheese. It's very hard to stop eating this dip once you start dipping into it with baked tortilla chips or crudite. Everybody who tries this dip absolutely LOVES IT!

Cajun Baked Shrimp and orn Dip

adapted from Tabasco's website

Ingredients (makes approximately 2.5 cups dip):

• 3/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/2 lb. Gulf shrimp (peeled, deveined, and chopped)
• 1 tbs. olive oil
• 1 tbs. Cajun seasoning
• 8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
• 1/2 cup 0% plain Greek yogurt
• 1.5 tbs. Creole mustard
• 2 tsp. hot sauce [NOTE: I use Crystal brand]
• 1 cup 2% shredded Colby-Jack cheese
• Baked tortilla chips and crudite for serving

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375℉. Heat the olive oil in an 8-inch cast iron skillet over med-high heat. Add the corn, all but 1 tbs. of the green onions, and the celery. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the celery starts to soften. Add the chopped shrimp and 1 tbs. of the Cajun seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp is opaque. Remove 1/2 cup of the corn-shrimp mixture and set aside for garnish.

Step 2: Reduce heat to medium. Add the reduced fat cream cheese, Greek yogurt, Creole mustard, hot sauce, and additional 1 tbs. of Cajun seasoning. Cook, stirring every few minutes, until the cream cheese melts and all of the ingredients are completely combined. Add 1/4 cup of the cheese to the skillet and stir until it melts into the dip. Sprinkle the top of the dip with the remaining 3/4 cup of cheese and the reserved green onion.

Step 3: Bake the dip until the cheese is melted and the dip is bubbly -- about 10 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and broil the skillet until the cheese on top of the dip is browned. Just before serving, mound the reserved 1/2 cup of corn-shrimp mixture in the middle of the skillet. Serve the dip warm with baked tortilla chips and crudite.

Hold the phone -- this dip is AMAZING! The melted cheese top layer gives way to a creamy, spicy dip that's studded with kernels of sweet corn and chunks of shrimp. I especially love the background flavor that the grainy Creole mustard provides...and the heat level is pretty moderate. If you prefer your food extra spicy, feel free to add more hot sauce to the creamy base. This is a perfect dip to cook up for any game day parties you're hosting. It's so cheesy and creamy that no one will ever guess it's made with lower-fat ingredients...promise!