Layered Mexican Dip

Remember that 7 Layer Dip that's been around forever? I had totally forgotten about it until the other day when I was searching for an appetizer to make.  I gave it a little bit of a make over, making my own refried beans and mashing fresh avocado instead of guacamole.  And I'm not sure that mine is quite 7 layers...I guess that's subject to interpretation.  But I can tell you that this is really, really tasty!   Everyone loved it and just look how gorgeous it was!!

Ingredients:

2- 15.5 oz can Pinto Beans

1/4 tsp Cumin

1/4 tsp Chili Powder

2 cups Colby- Monetary Jack Cheese, shredded

2 Avocados

2 cups Sour Cream

1 pkg Taco Seasoning

1-2 Roma Tomatoes, diced

2-3 Spring Onions, sliced

1/2 can Black Olives, pitted, drained, & sliced

Directions:

Drain the cans over a bowl, reserving the liquid from the can.  I drained it into a measuring cup with a pouring spout.

Place the drained beans in a skillet over medium heat, until warmed. 

 When the beans are warm, smash them with a potato masher. 

 When you've mashed up most of the beans, add a little bit of the reserved liquid (from the can) into the pan & continue to stir & mash up the beans.  Add enough liquid until they are at the consistency you want.  Add in the cumin & chili powder.  You can add more of the spices if you'd like.  You can also add in some hot sauce too!  Keep in mind that this will be layered in with other mild things like cheese & avocado, so you want it to have a lot of flavor.

 Layer the beans in a serving dish.  I used a glass pie plate so you could really see the layers. 

 Top the warm beans with the shredded cheese.  I loved the Colby-Monetary blend in this!  Cheddar would be good too, but use what ever you like! 

 In a separate bowl, mash up the fresh avocado.

 Spread the smashed avocado evenly over top of the cheese. 

 Combine the sour cream with the taco seasoning. 

 Spread the sour cream mixture over top of the avocado. 

 Sprinkle the chopped tomato, green onion & black olives on top.

 See the pretty layers?? 

 We made Homemade Tortilla Chips to serve with it.

I made this as an appetizer with my Mexican Hot Dogs for a football get together.  It all was a huge hit!

This recipe makes 6-8 appetizer servings.