Thursday, August 20, 2009

7-Layer Dip and Fresh Peach Salsa


Today is "Dip and Salsa" day. Partly because I'm feeling too lazy to do anything complicated, and partly because I recently prepared both dishes and they were big hits.

First is Ortega Foods' famous 7-Layer Dip, not exactly a traditional Mexican dish but with football season and tailgate parties on the horizon it's always a good choice. The second dish I pretty much made up myself when I had some fresh peaches and decided to be adventurous with ingredients I had on hand. This is a Fresh Peach Salsa, with a can of diced peppers to cut its sweetness. Don't be alarmed by the ingredients-- my nieces and nephews loved it cold with white tortilla strips, and I loved it warm with grilled chicken. It's not as sweet as it sounds.

Here we go:

ORTEGA 7-LAYER DIP
Serves 12

Ingredients:
  • 1 can (16-oz.) ORTEGA Refried Beans
  • 1 package (1.25-oz.) ORTEGA Taco Seasoning Mix - Regular
  • 8 ozs. sour cream
  • 8 ozs. guacamole
  • 1 cup (4 oz.) Mexican 4 cheese blend
  • 1 cup ORTEGA Salsa - Homestyle Recipe (Mild), any variety
  • 1 can (4-oz.) ORTEGA Diced Green Chiles
  • 1/3 cup sliced green onions
  • 16 ozs. tortilla chips
Directions

COMBINE beans and seasoning mix in a small bowl. Spread over bottom of 8-inch-square baking dish. Layer sour cream, guacamole, cheese, salsa, chiles and green onions. Serve with chips.

Sometimes I add about half a pound of cooked ground round to this, which makes it 8 layers. That always makes DH happy, and heck it also makes it a whole meal (and then some!) when there's just the two of us.

FRESH PEACH SALSA
Yields about 2 Cups

Ingredients:
  • 6 large ripe peaches, pitted, peeled, and coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 Cup orange marmalade
  • 6 thinly sliced green onions, including some of the green tops
  • 3 Tbsp lime juice
  • (4-oz) can diced, fire roasted chiles
  • 1 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix together ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until serving, or heat briefly in the microwave if you want it warm.

A friend of mine thinks some chopped prosciutto would be a good addition to this recipe, and I'm inclined to agree but haven't tried it. I also think this would be very good over grilled fish, but haven't tried that either. If you do, let me know how it worked out!

Buen provecho!

If you have a favorite recipe for a Mexican or Mexican-inspired dish, I'd love to add it to our recipe box! email lahuerita2@gmail.com (and put "recipe" in the subject box so I'll know what it's about)
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. -Mark Twain