A Month-of-Recipes: My Way 8-Layer Bean Dip

My dear mother-in-law, Fran, was not, she would admit, enamored of cooking. She did it. She fed her family well, but she took little joy from the process. I think I was always a bit of a puzzlement to her.

But decades ago, soon after we moved from Iowa back to DH’s home state of Arizona, Fran served a delicious appetizer. I have no idea where she got her Seven-Layer Bean Dip recipe (there are plenty of versions on the Internet now), but I know someone gave it to her or she found it in the paper. I know this because, bless her heart, she didn’t play with food like I do to create new recipes.

So, to the creator of that first recipe for Seven-Layer Bean Dip, I give a tilt of the spoon. But I never follow the recipe, so here is my version of Fran’s great appetizer.

To make my 8-Layer version more healthful, I have substituted a few ingredients with others. Fran used a can of refried beans as her base. I puree a can of black beans. She used sour cream. My dip has Greek yogurt instead. I don’t use guacamole, but I do mash up avocados with garlic salt.

Break out your favorite chips and have a party ‘cuz this makes a platterful! Put out some buttercrunch lettuce cups for people to use instead of chips. Yummers!

8-Layer Bean Dip (probably serves a dozen people)

2 avocados, mashed

2 teaspoons garlic salt

2 cans black beans, drained and pureed

4 green onions, sliced thinly, white and green part

1 large can black olives, sliced (you’ll have some left)

4 Roma tomatoes, finely diced

¾ cup plain Greek yogurt

1 small can green chilies, pick your heat level

1 cup Mexican blend cheeses, grated

Mash the avocados to a fine paste and blend in garlic salt. Set aside to let flavors blend.

Drain and rinse the black beans. Puree. Some small chunks are okay.

Get out a large dinner plate and spread the pureed black beans to an even thickness. Keep beans at least an inch from the plate edge.

Sprinkle the green onions evenly over the beans. Place the olives on top of the onions, touching one another until the whole layer is black. Each layer should look distinctive from the sides, so don’t cover sides with new layer ingredient.

Top with avocado-garlic spread. Sprinkle the diced tomatoes evenly over the avocado.

Evenly distribute green chilies on the tomatoes. Gently smooth yogurt over the chilies.

Press cheese into the top and sides of the dip. Refrigerate for at least an hour. This dip holds up for as long as it lasts.

DH’s Rating: 6 Tongues Up? Unh unh. No fair changing the rating system. <shrug> I guess it shows how much he loves this appetizer.