Hot Cheese Beef Dip

Julesong's Note:

Very, very tasty and a hit at parties! (People don't know it's lowcarb, eh?)

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 0 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• ½ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 5 scallions , chopped
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 16 ounces cream cheese , at room temp
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup chopped cashews
• 1 (5 ounce) jar dried beef , chopped (it might come in a bag 4.5 ozs.)
• salt
• pepper
• vegetable , to dip

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Saute the onion, bell pepper, scallions, and garlic cloves in the butter in a small frying pan over low heat until the vegetables are soft but not brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add the worcestershire and cream cheese and mix well.
4. Add the mayonnaise, cheddar, cashews, and dried beef and mix well.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Pour into an attractive baking dish and bake for 45 minutes to an hour.
7. In the meantime, prepare your dippers: I prefer cold, raw veggies such as celery, cucumber, Belgian endive, and cauliflower, but hot dip works well with crisply-steamed cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, or green beans, too (the hot dip against the cool raw vegetable is a nice contrast). Any veggies you like would probably be fine, but remember that if you're aiming for lower-carb, that vegetables aren't carb-free by any means. After fiber subtraction, about 7-9 carbs per serving.
8. If you're not lower-carbing, this stuff is just plain good. :) Dip in with whatever you want... pita chips, bread pieces, and so on. So very, very good! A little decadent, party living!