6-Layer Dip

Superbowl may be a bigger eating day than Thanksgiving. Everyone treats it as a national holiday, to the point where there are even traditional foods. One of those is chips-and-dip. The downfall of any diet.

I don't have any reduced-fat chip recipes, but I can improve on the nutritional value of any grocery store's layered, Mexican-style bean dip.

The avocados are intentionally between the tomatoes and onions. Between the vitamin C of the tomatoes and sulfuric acid of the onions, it will help to keep the avocados from browning. If you're really worried about the color, beat in 1 tsp of lemon juice when you mash them.

You'll notice a pattern to the layers: spread, sprinkle, spread, sprinkle.... It's like when you're hiking down the Grand Canyon. The easiest divisions to see in the layers are when the consistency is different. Spreading one paste over another tends to smear both of them. (See Cherry Trifle for a similar arrangement.)

Like the trifle, this looks best in a glass container with straight sides. The container should be wide enough that each layer is 1/4" to 1/2" deep. Otherwise, the chips can't reach the bottom.

PS: to make this a 7-layer dip, add 4 oz canned diced chiles after the onions.

2 C not-refried beans

1 15-oz can petit-diced tomatoes, no salt added, well-drained

2 avocados

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 C cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 C minced onion

1 C nonfat sour cream

1/2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1. In 2-quart serving dish, spread beans evenly on bottom. Sprinkle tomatoes over beans.

2. Open avocados, remove pit, and scoop pulp out of skins. In a small bowl, mash the pulp with a fork and work in salt and cilantro. Spread over tomatoes. (If the mash is too thick to spread, work in some water, a teaspoon at a time.)

3. Sprinkle onions over avocados. Spread sour cream over onions and sprinkle top with cheese. Garnish with more cilantro, if desired. Chill until ready to serve. Goes best with tortilla chips, but you could put out some carrot sticks in a vain attempt to create a healthy option.

Serves a lot

Difficulty rating :)