Creative Dining Services’ Inquiring Minds interviewed Kristeen Vander Wall, Receptionist and Office Assistant at Creative Dining Services home office. Here’s what we learned about:

[Creative Dining Services’ Inquiring Minds]: So, you are the Receptionist at Creative Dining Services. What is your favorite part of your job?

[Kristeen Vander Wall]: Since my start in June, I’ve been enjoying the fun (sometimes feisty) environment and being able to help the staff with various tasks.

[CDSIM]: Our readers would like to know: what is your favorite cuisine?

[KV]: Well, what goes with Mountain Dew? On a more practical level: anything Italian. For my birthday, my husband prepared me a wonderful and delicious dish of spaghetti. It was amazing!

[CDSIM]: If I take a look inside your refrigerator what would I find?

[KV]: Hmmm, depends on what is on sale that week. The must haves are: milk, eggs, cheese and Mountain Dew.

[CDSIM]: If you could vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go?

[KV]: Throughout my schooling, I took 5 years of French and I minored in Greek so, I would love to travel somewhere that I could put those languages to use. Paris? Greece? Yes please!

[CDSIM]: And finally, how will you handle your new-found fame once this interview is published on the Creative Dining Blog?

[KV]: Let’s just say, I will autograph anything you’d like, but it’s going to cost you!

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Seeing that we are a culinarily-focused company, Kristeen has agreed to share her recipe for Guilt Free Spinach Dip.  Here’s what she has to say about it:

“We all know that holidays are a good time for packing on the pounds. All the delicious goodies and treats that are readily available for the taking at family gatherings and get-togethers, who can resist? This past Independence Day I did a pretty nice job of turning down the extras – I felt satisfied after the long holiday weekend. However, the week following, my husband’s family and I went camping up north to Mackinaw City. This meant a deadly combination: Mackinac Island Fudge and Happy Hour. You see, our family has a long running camping tradition that every day from 4 to 6 we bust out the snacks and treats, then we sit back and indulge. It’s a great tradition. Those couple hours are heavenly. Much to my surprise, we mostly ate healthy (besides my contribution of white-chocolate covered peanut butter balls). My favorite recipe of the week was the Guilt-free Greek Spinach Dip. Try out this delicious and easy recipe if you are looking for a great dish to pass at a party or just needing something to nibble on. You won’t regret it!”

Guilt-free Greek Spinach Dip

 Makes 4 Cups

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Chill Time: 2 Hours (for best taste)

Ingredients:

1 Dried vegetable soup mix

1 Container (16 oz) nonfat Greek yogurt

1 Cup low-fat mayonnaise

¼ Cup diced red onion

1 package (10 oz) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1/3 Cup thinly sliced green onions

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine vegetable mix, yogurt and mayonnaise until smooth. Seed and dice tomatoes.

2. Gently stir in tomatoes, red onion and green onions into yogurt mixture.

3. Cover and chill for 2 (or more) hours. Serve with sliced veggies of your choosing, or my personal favorite: Pretzels or Pecan Nut Thins.

4. Indulge, I mean, Enjoy!