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Layered Chorizo Mexican Dip

12 Jun

7 Layer Mexican Dips are the perfect party food.

Why 7 layers?

Why not 6?

Or 8?

Who picked 7?  I don’t get it.

I recently made a layered Mexican dip.  It was super tasty.  Layered dips have been popping up all over at parties and get togethers that I have been to and I have loved them all.  The beauty of a layered dip is you can have as many layers as you want.  If 4 is your lucky number or you really have a thing for 7, then you can do that. In my opinion, as long as you do not put olives in the mix, you can have as many layers as you wish.

I wanted 6 layers.  So I made a 6 layer dip.  With chorizo.  Chorizo, a seasoned Mexican ground sausage, makes everything better.  Everything.

Layered Chorizo Mexican Dip

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) can refried beans

1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles

1  large avocado, cut in half, pit removed and chopped

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sour cream

juice from 1 lime

6 ounces ground chorizo sausage

2 roma tomaotes, diced

2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

1.  Prepare ingredients.  Combine refried beans and green chiles in a medium bowl.  Stir to combine.  Evenly spread into a 9 inch pie plate.  Wipe out bowl.  (When I make refried beans, I always add a can of diced green chiles for some extra pizzazz).

2.  Combine avocado, cayenne pepper and salt into same medium bowl.  Mix to combine.  Feel free to use another avocado if you love them.  Spread avocado mixture on top of bean layer.  Wipe out bowl.

3.  Combine sour cream and lime juice into same medium bowl.  Stir to combine.  Spread sour cream mixture on top of avocado layer.

4.  Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat.  Cook chorizo until done.  Drain on a paper towel lined plate.  Spread chorizo evenly on top of sour cream layer.

5.  Top dish with a layer of chopped tomatoes then shredded cheddar cheese.  Broil under high heat (with oven door open) for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

*The chorizo I bought was packaged in a 12 ounce log.  I cut the log in half, then a couple days later we ate chorizo and scrambled eggs.  So good.

Serve with tortilla chips, the best dipper known to mankind.

For printable recipe, click here.

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Zesty Dill Dip

5 Jun

I need more veggies in my life.

I do not need more butter in my life.

This dip does not have butter in it (Cheers!).  Ignore the fact that it has mayo in it.

This dip does however allow my husband and I to eat raw carrots and broccoli and cauliflower.  That in itself is a victory.  Never mind that we are dipping them into a dip with mayo and sour cream.

You win some and lose some.  I am calling this a win.

This is a great dip to serve at a party and is a fun alternative to regular ol’ ranch dip.  I added horseradish which we adore  in our house.  Clears out your sinuses and adds a wonderful kick to your dishes.

Zesty Dill Dip

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream (all great things start out with these two ingredients)

1 teaspoon bottled horseradish

1 teaspoon minced shallot (about 1/2 of a small shallot) or 1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped

Instructions:

1.  Combine all ingredients except for fresh dill into a small bowl.  Mix to combine.  Add dill and gently stir to combine.  Taste dip and tweak to preferences.

2.  Allow dip to rest in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.  Serve.

Fresh dill will actually keep for a while in the refrigerator.  Dill is a lovely herb that will brighten any dish into which it is added.  Dill pairs well with salmon, breads, carrots, cucumbers, or pickles. Excess dill can be used in this delicious looking Goat Cheese with Fresh Dill from The Pioneer Woman or in Mashed Cauliflower with Cheese and Dill from Kalyn’s Kitchen.

Feel free to add more horseradish if you like to live life on the edge.

For printable recipe, click here.

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Tropical Salsa

29 May

I want to be on a sunny beach, with a good book, a Mai Tai in hand (or a Corona), and nothing on my agenda except maybe an afternoon swim.  Who’s with me?  Can you make that happen?

In case Aruba does not happen in the near future, I have this tropical salsa to tide me over.

Tropical salsa, a yummy, light, sweet and savory dip.  I think that tropical salsa can be made with whatever you like.  Or in my case, whatever looks good in the commissary that day.  I had a hankering for mango and kiwi, but other ingredients that would be delicious in salsa would be strawberries, peaches, avocado, papaya, melon or pineapples.

Because I am a sucker for the sweet/savory combo, I dipped these Cinnamon & Sugar Pita Chips from Trader Joe’s into my tropical salsa.  I am really into these pita chips right now.  I know I could make them myself, but shortcuts are a must sometimes.  The only problem is that the bag is too small.  They seem to disappear so fast?

Try this version of Tropical Salsa or make up your own!

Tropical Salsa

Ingredients:

3 Roma tomatoes, halved, seeded and diced

1 kiwi, peeled, center membrane removed and chopped.

1 mango, peeled and chopped (Here is a great tutorial on how to cut a mango)

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon lime juice

dash of salt

Instructions:

1.  Prepare all ingredients.  Chop first three ingredients to similar sizes.

2.  In a medium bowl combine all of the ingredients.  Taste and tweak to preference.  Let mixture rest for 30 minutes, then serve.  Salsa will last 1-2 days in the refrigerator, but best consumed immediately.

**Try to chop the fruit and tomatoes into the same size small dice.  This will make it easier to EAT.

For printable recipe, click here.

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Marry Me Dip

22 May

I believe I have hit the jackpot.  Want the way into anyone’s heart?  Want someone to marry you?  Make them this.

I believe melted provolone cheese with garlic, rosemary and olive oil will get you just about anything you want.

I adapted this from one of Ina Garten’s recipes.  She is the woman.  She used fontina cheese.  But you know what?  Even though it is delicious, I have problems with fontina cheese.  One being that I can not find it at the commissary and when I wanted to make this, I wanted to make it NOW.  Two being that fontina cheese is expensive and provolone is not.

I also pared the recipe down to a smaller portion, fit for one or two or as an appetizer for 4.  If you would like to make this a larger amount, double or triple the recipe and put into a 9 inch pie dish or a cast iron skillet.

Ingredients:

4 slices provolone cheese, cut into small pieces

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

dash of salt

1 teaspoon fresh minced rosemary

Instructions:

1.  Turn on broiler to high heat.

2.  In small bowl, combine oil, garlic, salt and rosemary.

3.  In a small ramekin, 6 inches in diameter, combine cheese and oil mixture.  Stir to evenly coat.

4.  Place ramekin under broiler and leave oven door slightly ajar.  Broil for 5 minutes or until top and edges are golden brown.

I made the mistake of making this for the first time when I was alone.  Do not, I repeat, do not make this when you are the only person around to eat it.  Unless you want to eat four slices of provolone cheese on your own.  Which wouldn’t be so bad I guess?

Make sure to keep an eye on the dish when under the broiler.  It will burn quicker than you can say Marry Me.

Serve with a warm baguette and a smile.

For printable recipe, click here.

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Tomatillo Salsa

1 May

I like saying “tomatillo.”  Say it, “TOMATILLO.”

I have fond memories of tomatillo salsa.  In college, I  made this salsa and took it to the beach with my then boyfriend/now husband and myself.  It disappeared quickly.  He loved it.  I am not sure why this memory stands out among many, but I think I was quite satisfied with myself that he liked it so much.  Or maybe it is the memories of NC beaches or just of another time when we all we worried about was maybe a test or two and if we had fun plans the next weekend…

Anyway, here is a simple simple recipe for tomatillo salsa.  Some recipes suggest cooking the tomatillos, but I like the fresh taste that they bring to the party.

Tomatill0 Salsa

Ingredients:

1 pound tomatillos, husked and washed (about 7 tomatillos)

2 jalapenos, seeded, roughly chopped

1/2 cup roughly chopped red onion

1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped

1 cup packed cilantro

1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

This is one of my type of recipes.  Prep all of your ingredients, throw them into the bowl of a food processor and take them for a spin.  Process until desired texture.  Taste salsa and add more salt if needed.  You do not need to add lime to the salsa because the tomatillos have a tartness to them.  They also possess lots of juice, so this salsa ends up being on the thin side.  But so good.  I can neither confirm nor deny that I ate it by the spoonful…

This salsa is yummy on chicken tacos or any Mexican dish.  This bowl did not last more than one day in my house.

For printable recipe click here.

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Easter Ham and Swiss Dip

24 Apr

Happy Easter!

If you celebrate Easter, I hope you are having a great day and remembering what this day means to you.

I also hope you are enjoying a meal with some of your favorite people.  I hope ham is involved, for your sake.

With that being said, I love ham.  As you can probably tell, we like pork products over here at The Triple Dish.  Here is a recipe for that leftover ham you might have today.

I have fond memories of eating leftover ham after Easter.  After school, I would come home and make a ham sandwich and smother it in Italian dressing.  Even as a child I had refined taste buds…ha!

I also remember these little party ham sandwiches my mom used to make with ham, Swiss cheese, mustard,  poppy seeds and lots of butter.  Those little sandwiches inspired me to make this dip.

Easter Ham and Swiss Dip

Ingredients:

2 cups leftover ham, finely chopped (I just threw a thick slice into the food processor and basically ground the ham)

1 block cream cheese, at room temperature

1-½ cups Swiss cheese, shredded, divided

2 green onions, chopped (green parts), divided

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons hot sauce (my choice is Texas Pete)

2 teaspoons poppy seeds

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Add leftover ham to bowl of food processor. Process until fine.

3. To bowl of food processor, add cream cheese, 1 cup Swiss cheese, green onions (reserve 1/4 cup for finishing) and the remaining 5 ingredients.

4. Mix in food processor until well combined.

5. Add ham mixture to a greased 1-quart baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until middle is hot and edges are golden.

6. Remove from oven and turn oven to broil setting. Sprinkle dip with leftover Swiss cheese and green onions. Broil for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted.

This is  one of my type of recipes.  Throw everything in a food processor, whirl it a bit then bake.  You should try it some time.  It’s fun.

Serve with crackers, vegetables, or a toasted baguette.

For printable recipe, click here.

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Chipotle Cheese Dip

17 Apr

My normal go to cheese dip, aka queso as my fellow Texans call it, consists of a block of processed cheese (velveeta), a can of diced tomatoes and chilies, and a pound of spicy ground sausage. However, it seems in the great state of Cali, people do not appreciate the simplicity/mystery/beauty/creepiness of processed cheese and it costs $10 at the grocery store. No processed cheese is worth that, maybe a block of gruyere, but velveeta? Nope. So, this was a wonderful and much tastier alternative! I used light cream cheese and sour cream so I could feel less guilty about eating a whole bag of tortilla chips!

Ingredients

  • 1  (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1  cup  sour cream
  • 1  tablespoon  finely chopped canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
  • 2  teaspoons  chili powder
  • 2  cups  chopped cooked chicken (optional, I left this out because I was lazy and did not have any chicken cooked)
  • 2  cups  (8 oz.) shredded colby-Jack cheese blend
  • 1  (4-oz.) can chopped green chiles
  • 4  green onions, finely chopped
  • 2  jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
  • 1/2  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
  • Garnish: fresh cilantro sprig
  • Tortilla chips

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together first 5 ingredients in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in chicken (you could also use chorizo or ground beef) and next 5 ingredients until blended. Spoon cheese mixture into a lightly greased 8-inch square baking dish.

2. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Spoon into a serving bowl or eat it right out of the baking dish like I did. Serve with tortilla chips.

Recipe adapted from here.

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Fancy French Onion Dip

10 Apr

I actually call this dip Caramelized Shallot and Blue Cheese Dip, but Fancy French Onion is just easier to say.  Why make things difficult?

I stumbled upon this recipe on the back of a shallot package in Kingsville and have tweaked it to my liking.  It is very flavorful, but please do consume in moderation ;)   This dip keeps well and will last about a week in the fridge, so no need to rush and eat the whole bowl in one sitting.

Caramelized Shallot and Blue Cheese Dip

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil

2 cups thinly sliced shallots (3 shallots)

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

5 ounces blue cheese, crumbled, at room temperature (one of the round containers at the grocery store)

salt and pepper to taste

juice from 1/2 lemon

Instructions:

1.  Remove blue cheese from the refrigerator to come to room temperature.

2.  Thinly slice shallots and heat oil to medium low heat.  Cook onions on low, covered, for about 25 minutes until carameized and a deep golden brown.

Almost there...

3.  Combine sour cream, mayonnaise and blue cheese into a bowl (Forgive me).  Add onions to bowl and combine.

4.  Add salt and pepper to taste and lemon juice.  Place in refrigerator for at least one hour.  Before serving, test again to see if you need more salt and pepper.  Serve with potato chips, crackers or vegetables.

This is my portion, where is yours?

For printable recipe click here.

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Holy Guacamole!

3 Apr

If you LOVE guacamole, raise your hand!  If you didn’t raise your hand, then you must be allergic or something?

I believe that a good guacamole recipe is a must in every cook’s recipe arsenal.  Here is a recipe that is super easy and delicious.  Enjoy!

**If you were wondering how to keep guacamole fresh, all you have to do is eat the whole bowl!  Then you will have no worries ;)   But you can also place an avocado pit into your storage container and that will help.

Cut 4 small avocados in half, remove pit (keep for later) and scoop out the avocado meat.  Juice one half of a lime and toss with avocados.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, chop and seed 2 Roma tomatoes, and chop 1/2 cup red onion.  Also chop a handful of cilantro and finely mince 1 clove of garlic.

With a potato masher or tool of choice, break up avocados into small chunks.  To the avocados, add 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper.  Add to bowl and mash avocados to desired texture.

Add the chopped items to the bowl and fold into mixture.  Finish off with the juice of the other half of lime.

Such pretty colors

Resist the urge to devour the entire bowl at this time and set aside for 30 minutes to an hour to let flavors meld.  Add avocado pits to help keep it fresh.

Then when you can’t stand it anymore, eat that guacamole with some tortilla chips and if you’re real bold, crack open a Corona!

For printable recipe click here.

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Chicken Curry Dip

27 Mar

I am intrigued with Indian food.  I think its so flavorful!  I originally made this dip as a chicken salad from Pampered Chef, but tweaked it and made it into a dip.  This dip is good for many reasons.  Time for a list!

1.  It’s not too, too unhealthy.  Considering my past dips, I thought this was quite an accomplishment on my part.

2.  There are lots of different flavors and textures playing around here which make it interesting, appealing and delicious!

3.  You don’t have to cook it!  (Other than the shredded chicken, but you can always use canned if you’re banning your oven for the day)

4.  It is not served best with tortilla chips!! Also another accomplishment on my part.  I’m on a roll.

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded chicken, (1 large chicken breast)

1/2 cup raw cashews, chopped

1/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut

2 green onions, chopped

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 hot Thai chile pepper, diced

2 tablespoons sweet orange marmalade

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1.  Pound chicken breast until even thickness throughout.  (Get out those aggressions!)  Season liberally with salt and pepper.  Grill on grill pan until juices run clear, about 4-5 minutes per side.  Set aside to cool.  When cool, shred chicken into bite size pieces using two forks.  I then chopped it so that the pieces of chicken were small.  Place into large bowl and set aside.

2.  Place chopped cashews into a skillet heated to medium high heat.  Cook cashews until toasted.  Nuts will become fragrant and golden.  Shake pan often to prevent burning.  Place toasted cashews into bowl with shredded chicken.

3.  Use same method to toast coconut until golden brown.  Add to bowl with chicken and cashews.  Add green onions to this bowl too.

If you are not a wimp, add some hot Thai chiles.  I used one and was informed later that I could have used more ;)

4. If desired, toast curry powder for 30 seconds.  Place curry powder in separate bowl.  To the curry powder, add Thai chile pepper, sweet orange marmalade, mayonnaise, Greek yogurt and salt and pepper.  Stir to combine.  Fold this mixture into the chicken mixture.

Enjoy!

This dip can be served with crackers and is good warm, cold or at room temperature.  Because patience with food is something I’m still working on, we ate it at room temperature!

For printable recipe click here.

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