Lemon and herb spinach artichoke dip

What's tailgating without snacks?  While some people keep it simple and stick to grilled burgers or hot dogs, I love any excuse for spinach dip!  So, courtesy of Southern Living magazine (with a few small twists I added), here's a recipe for delicious Lemon and herb spinach artichoke dip.  Disregard the LSU colors, but how cute and practical are those Chinese takeout boxes?  Easy to transport, and very little cleanup.  Brilliant!

Prep: 15 min., Chill: 30 min.
Yield: Makes 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients

1 (14-oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 (8-oz.) container sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons finely chopped onion*

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 envelope dry vegetable soup mix

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 (10-oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 large tomato, chopped

1 large bunch fresh basil

Assorted corn or tortilla chips

Preparation

1. Stir together first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Drain thawed spinach well, pressing between paper towels; stir into artichoke mixture.  Carefully stir in tomatoes and herbs. Cover and chill 30 minutes or up to 2 days. Serve with assorted corn or tortilla chips.

For party-worthy wrap sandwiches, spread this dip on a tortilla, add chicken, fresh mozzarella cheese, and few slices of roasted red peppers, and roll up.  

* Don't like crunchy chunks of onion in your dip?  Grate it on a cheese grater over the bowl rather than chopping it.  You'll get all the flavor from the juice and grated pulp without the crunchy onion texture that some people don't like.