Taco Dip

MSCD 12-month recipe

My Mom’s Taco Dip is a 28-year-old Super Bowl tradition for our family. During yesterday’s game, my husband was talking with me about who played in what Super Bowl all the way back to the early-80s. How does he know that???  I told him that all I could remember was the Taco Dip! I’m a day late in posting this recipe – or instead consider me 364 days early. (February 5, 2012 is the date for Super Bowl XLVI, assuming that the NFL has a season this year.) Regardless, go ahead and throw another party next weekend just so you can have an excuse to make this dip. It’s good stuff.

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature

1 (16 oz.) can refried beans

1 (16 oz.) jar salsa

1 (8 oz.) bag shredded cheese

Place cream cheese and refried beans in a bowl. Mix on high with an electric mixer until smooth, creamy and completely incorporated. Spread mixture evenly onto a serving dish, all the way to the edges of your dish. For the second layer, pour hot sauce onto bean mixture, again spreading evenly to the edges. For the top layer, sprinkle on all of the shredded cheese.

Serve as is or sprinkle on any toppings you like: diced onions, sliced olives, minced jalapeno, diced bell pepper or diced scallions.

Serve with dippers like corn chips, potato chips, baby carrots or cherry tomatoes (on toothpicks).

NOTE:

• To make it easy on yourself, buy a package of organic cream cheese. If you can’t find any, make your own from the Cream Cheese recipe on pg. 147 in The Road to Health.
• Usually the fat free or vegetarian refried beans are free of lard and hydrogenated oils. Read those labels!
• Use whatever kind of serving dish you like – a football-shaped one would be cute for a Super Bowl party. But just to give you an idea of serving size, Mom and I usually use a 12-inch round dish.

recipe by Marilyn Shaw