Recipes for Mexican Style Dips

Many of my food articles center around healthy eating. While I am firm believer that food should be nutritious whenever possible, there are some notable exceptions. One of these is Mexican cuisine. Who doesn't want to just take a bath in that delicious white cheese dip? And the guacamole! The generous helpings of sour cream on the tacos! Unlimited chip refills! I could easily keep going but I'll stop myself before I jump in the car and make a beeline towards El Porton.

Below are recipes for four of my favorite Mexican style dips. They're not the healthiest things you'll ever eat, but we all deserve to splurge every now and then. What's best about these recipes is they are ridiculously easy

1) Zesty Taco Dip

Out of all of my creations, this is by far the one with the most overwhelming positive response. I have never encountered a person who does not like this. The flavors are so rich it tastes as if you've been in the kitchen all day whipping up some gourmet concoction when in actuality this takes you less than ten minutes to prepare.

What you'll Need:

-1 (8 oz.) container of sour cream

-8 oz. chive and onion cream cheese

-1 (1oz.) package of taco seasoning

-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

-1 cup chopped tomatoes

-2 chopped green onions

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the sour cream, cream cheese, and taco seasoning. Spread the mixture into

a pie dish. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the entire mixture in an even layer. Top with

tomatoes and green onions.

2) Seven Layer Dip

There is lots of room for interpretation with this one. For example, I use salsa, but you can use rotel, pico de gallo, or whatever tomato-based product suits your fancy. Also feel free to experiment with different types of beans and cheeses. If you don't have vegetarians in the group, this is also delicious as an eighth layer dip with the addition of ground beef. Or maybe even add some Mexican rice for yet another layer.

What You'll Need:

- 1 (8oz.) container of sour cream

- 1 cup of Mexican blend cheese

- 1 ripe avocado mashed to guacamole consistency

- 1 cup of salsa

- 1 cup of shredded lettuce

- 1 cup of black beans

- ½ cup black olives

Directions:

Use a small but deep

There is no particular order to the layers, but I have found that the following works best-black beans, avocado, sour cream, salsa, lettuce, cheese, and black olives.

Chill for one hour and serve.

3) Sloane's Special Guacamole and 4) Sloane's Special Cheese Dip

I combine these two into one recipe because the only difference is whether you use avocado or cheese. Both are absolutely delicious. Unlike the previous two dips, these can be eaten as soon as prepared without time needed to chill in the refrigerator. Tweak the Tabasco as necessary depending on how spicy you like your dish, and I've also found that red pepper flakes and cilantro give it a nice kick.

What You'll Need:

- 1 bar of Velveeta cheese OR 2 ripe avocados depending on your dip of choice

- 1 can of Rotel tomato product [there are so many types but my favorite for these recipes are the lime cilantro version]

- Tabasco sauce

- Lime juice

- Cracked black pepper

Directions:

Slice Velveeta into into tiny cubes OR halve your avocadoes and scoop them into a guacamole-like consistency.

Place in bowl and add Rotel.

[If making Velveeta dip place mixture into microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring periodically.]

Once mixture of choice is blended together well, add a few drops of Tabasco sauce and a generous squirt of lime juice.

Stir well and enjoy.