BEST SEVEN LAYER DIP EVER
This dip is really good. Fresh cooked beans pureed to perfect creaminess form the base layer. Then comes chile infused salsa, sour cream, chopped black olives, green onions, shredded cheddar, and chopped tomatos. Like I said before, this dip is really good!
The secret to making the best 7 layer dip lies within the ingredients. All ingredients called for are of the highest quality. Do not compromise or get lazy on this step!
The beans MUST be fresh cooked. No canned beans allowed in this recipe. You can prepare the beans yourself or go to your local mexican restaurant and order a pint or two of whole beans to go.
The salsa is fresh made. You can make your own salsa or purchase some from your local farmer's market or favorite mexican restaurant. It is important to use organic sour cream and cheddar cheese for maximum flavor. Tillamook Cheddar is rgbh hormone free (a gross gmo growth hormone banned all over the world) and is a good cheese to use for this dip. Buy naturally cured black olives from the specialty olive bar at your grocery store or Whole Foods. Slicing olives yourself results in better tasting olives. Use Organic tomatoes as they have a better texture and more flavor. Commercially grown tomatoes have a funky mealy texture and minimal flavor.
An extra effort is required in order to experience the "Best Seven Layer Dip Ever". All those lucky people who get to eat it with you will be incredibly thankful and full of oohs and ahhs. So go for it!
This recipe makes a 8 x 8 square pan or a 9 inch pie pan. Double the recipe for a 9x13 pan or a 10 x 10 square pan. Glass pyrex is a great choice as it shows off the dips beautiful layers.
Ingredients:
1 Pint fresh cooked beans, see cooking beans from scratch
1 cup fresh made salsa of choice, see salsa recipes
8oz Organic sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, preferably organic and/or rBGH free*
1/2 cup naturally cured olives, get at a fresh olive bar or sometimes found canned
2 green onions, chopped
1 organic and/or vine ripened tomato, chopped, romas are a good choice
preparation:
Puree beans in a blender or food processor. Add just enough of their juice so that a thick, yet creamy consistency is achieved. If using a blender, you may need to stop it and stir a few times with a rubber spatula. The goal is to achieve a bean puree consistency that will stay put on a tortilla chip but not break the chip during the dipping process of eating.
Spread pureed beans into pan. Spread sour cream evenly on top of bean layer, using a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon. Add salsa and spread gently, being carefully not to mix it with the sour cream. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese liberally and evenly over salsa layer. Slice olives and place evenly on top of cheese layer along with chopped onions and tomatoes.
Keep refrigerated until serving time. Serve with Corn Chips, preferably Organic.
*I emphasize using dairy that is artificial growth hormone free and/or Organic for many reasons. Organic and sustainably produced dairy products taste better and are produced in a way that is more in harmony with our environment. Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is a synthetic (man-made) hormone used by the dairy industry to increase milk production in cows. This artificial milk production increase leads to diseased cows resulting in heavy antibiotic use. These antibiotics and hormones are passed onto us, the consumer, when we eat dairy products produced in this way. Here is link from the American Cancer Society for further information on rBGH: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/recombinant-bovine-growth-hormone
Look for dairy products that state that they are Organic or rBGH free. If the label doesn't state this, then it is most likely produced in this unnatural fashion.
