Super Bowl Dips

 

In developing Super Bowl dips for an upcoming Standard-Examiner column, I wanted them to be practically a meal on a chip, or dinner in a dip. I even managed to work in some veggies, but I wouldn’t exactly call them health food,

I put the traditional Mexican Seven-Layer Dip in individual clear glassware. Here’s why –

– What’s the point of layering dip if you can’t see the layers?

–  A big platter of this dip gets pretty gross-looking after a few people have scooped into it.

– With individual servings, you don’t have to worry about double-dippers or super-scoopers. Get your own cup of dip and settle in to watch the game., or the commercials or the half-time, whichever you really came to watch.

For the photos, I bought a couple of martini and margarita stemware at Dollar Tree. The margarita glass would hold enough dip to feed an NFL linebacker. But it would work well as a dip-for-two.

I also tried the clear plastic cups and they looked good too. You just want them wide enough for chips to fit, and shallow enough that you don’t have to dig too deep to get all the layers on one chip.

You can layer your Super Bowl dips beforehand to display as guests show up. Or you can set out the ingredients and let people custom-layer their own dip.  That way, if someone doesn’t like olives or is allergic to dairy, they can leave those items out.

I also gave the seven-layer idea a Mediterranean mash-up with hummus, crumbled feta, roasted red peppers, Kalamata olives, Greek yogurt mixed with sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped cucumber and flat-leaf parsley. Again, you can let guests layer their own individual cup of dip, just in case some may not like the tangy flavor of Greek yogurt — believe me, it’s pretty tangy. Or they might not want to cucumber texture. I liked using celery sticks as dippers for this one, but you could also use pita chips or crackers.

I’ll share more Super Bowl dip recipes —  the Queso Dip, the Chili Cheese Dip and my favorite, Bacon Blue Cheese and Spinach Dip, in a separate post.

 

MEXICAN SEVEN-LAYER DIP

1 16-ounce carton sour cream

1 packet taco seasoning

2 cans refried beans

16-ounce jar salsa

2 avocados, chopped or 2 cups guacamole

1 8-ounce package shredded sharp cheddar  (about 2 cups)

1 cup sliced olives

1 cup chopped cilantro or green onions

Garnish: chopped tomatoes, green onions, more sour cream

Mix the sour cream with the taco seasoning mix and place in a two-cup serving bowl. Place each individual ingredient in a serving bowl, along with shallow cups or glassware so that each guest can custom-layer their own dip. Or, layer in a 13-by-9-inch glass pan, in this suggested order: Refried beans, sour cream, guacamole or avocado, salsa, cheese, olives, cilantro or green onions.

MEDITERRANEAN SEVEN-LAYER DIP

If you’re short on time, you can use prepared hummus instead of making your own.

First layer: Hummus

2 cans garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas), drained

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoon garlic powder (or 4 cloves garlic, peeled)

2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon tahini (sesame seed paste)

1/3 cup water

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Blend ingredients together in a food processor or with a stick blender until smooth. Makes about 3 cups.

2nd Layer: Yogurt and Sun-Dried Tomato Spread

2 5.3-ounce containers plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (if using oil-packed, use 1/3 cup well-drained

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and allow to sit for about 10-15 minutes to soften the tomatoes.  Puree in a blender or with a stick blender.  Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

3rd Layer: Roasted Red Pepper 

1 12-ounce jar roasted red peppers (or roast and peel fresh red bell peppers)

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon dried onion flakes or onion powder

Drain the water from the peppers, except for about 1/4 cup

Puree  the peppers with salt, onion flakes, and 1/4 cup water.  Makes about 1 cup.

4th layer:

1 cucumber, finely diced

5th layer:

1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced

6th layer:

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

7th layer:

1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Place each individual ingredient in a serving bowl, along with shallow cups or glassware so that each guest can custom-layer their own dip. Or, layer in a 13-by-9-inch glass pan, in the order suggested above.