Mexican Five Layer Dip (Clean Eating)

I have a secret, well – not so much a secret, but a lifestyle I love and adore that my blog doesn’t always follow. I love clean eating. I worry a lot about snacks and calories and preservatives when it comes time for parties and such. I found this awesome dip early in the year and we made it several times – Super Bowl Sunday, 4th of July, Labor Day and now for New Years. Also, in case you were wondering – I don’t live a 100% Clean Eating lifestyle by any stretch of the imagination, BUT I do try very hard to make everything from scratch so as to avoid most preservatives, etc.

Anyway, about that yummy dip.

You can find this dip here. (one of my favorite mag and website!)

Okay, so I prepared my pinto beans a couple of days in advance. According to the original recipe, you can get away with doing it up to 4 days in advance. You should consider this, because it makes the process so much faster when you’re ready to do the dip.

Mexican Five Layer Dip

• 1 cup dried pinto beans
• 3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1 small white onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 to 3 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped (about 1/3 cup)
• 3/4 packed cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, divided
• Juice of 2 limes, divided
• 1/2 tsp sea salt, plus additional to taste, divided
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
• 6 oz reduced-fat cheddar cheese, grated (about 1½ cups)
• 1 1/2 cups reduced-fat sour cream

Rinse beans in a colander and pick through, discarding any debris or small stones. Place in a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover beans. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and let beans rest for 1 hour. Drain beans in a colander and rinse. Wash saucepan, return beans to saucepan and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low to maintain a steady simmer. Cover and cook for 1½ to 2 hours or until beans are very tender. Reserve about 2/3 cup cooking liquid, drain beans and set aside to cool. (Or, cover and refrigerate beans in their cooking liquid for up to 4 days. Reserve 2/3 cup liquid and drain before proceeding with recipe.)

In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, jalapeños and about two-thirds of cilantro. Squeeze juice of 1 lime over tomato mixture and season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Set aside.

In a food processor or blender, combine avocados, remaining cilantro and remaining juice of 1 lime. Purée until slightly chunky. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Place beans and 1/3 cup reserved cooking liquid in a food processor (or use a powerful blender or mash by hand with a potato masher). Process until you have a slightly chunky purée, adding additional cooking liquid, 1 tbsp at a time, as needed to reach desired consistency. Add 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper. Pulse several times to combine.

Putting it all together:

Transfer beans to a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish or large glass bowl and spread into an even layer.

Sprinkle cheese evenly over beans. Dollop scoops of avocado mixture over cheese and use a spatula to spread into a thin layer. Dollop scoops of sour cream over avocado and spread into a thin layer. With a slotted spoon (to drain any liquid), spread tomato mixture evenly over sour cream. Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 4 hours.

Nutrients Per 1/4-Cup Serving: Calories 86, Total Fat 4.5 g, Sat. Fat 1.5 g, Carbs 8 g, Fiber 2 g, Sugars 1.5 g, Protein 4 g, Sodium 87 mg, Cholesterol 8 mg

For the record, this is so yummy. I did use some garlic to flavor the beans and the avocado mixture though. I felt like it needed a little something and garlic is my favorite spice.