The Best Layered Taco Dip Recipe

The Best Layered Taco Dip Recipe

You know you hit the appetizer jackpot when you return home from a gathering with an empty dish once graced with layers of savory taco goodness.  

This quick and easy classic layered dip has been a crowd favorite at our get-togethers and potlucks for years. Loaded with refried beans, creamy guacamole, sour cream, tomatoes, black olives, green onions, and cheese, it is our secret ingredients, Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend and Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning, that take this recipe from ordinary to extraordinary. It is no wonder why this recipe has earned the prestigious title "The Best Layered Taco Dip Recipe" from our friends and family. Since it is the "best," we would be amiss not to share it with you.

Whether it is a potluck or Game Day celebration, this dip will seriously score big with your gang!  It feeds a crowd, it can be made ahead, and it will definitely become your new favorite party appetizer!

Ingredients

• 1 16 oz. can of refried beans

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning

• 8 oz. of your favorite guacamole (We tested this recipe with Wholly Guacamole)

• 12 oz. sour cream

• 2 heaping Tablespoons (Tbsp) Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend

• 1 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes, drained

• 3 green onions, finely chopped

• 1 2.25 oz. can sliced black olives, drained

• 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce (optional)

• 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese (sometimes we use a blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses)

• Tortilla chips (or substitute Frito Scoops for the tortilla chips)

Preparation  

In a small bowl, soften the refried beans in a microwave for about 20 seconds.  (This process makes the beans easier to spread).  Add the Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning to the refried beans and mix.  Spread the bean mixture in a shallow baking dish (For the pretty factor, use a glass baking dish to show off the different layers).  For the next layer, spread the guacamole over the refried beans.

In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream and Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend and spread over the guacamole layer.  

If using lettuce (optional), sprinkle over the sour cream.  Next, sprinkle the tomatoes, followed by the cheese, green onions, and olives.  Finally, for a festive flair, sprinkle a small amount of Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend over the dip.

Refrigerate the taco dip for at least a couple of hours to overnight.  Serve with your favorite tortilla chips (we used Frito Scoops this time) and watch this glorious layered dip disappear.  We dare you to try just one bite!

Or, mix things up for Halloween and create this creepy spider web. Expose the guacamole layer exposed, then add the cheese, olives, tomatoes an scallions around the edge. Serve with blue corn tortilla chips for a spooky effect and add a fake spider and you are all set for Halloween!

Enjoy!

Baked Coconut Shrimp With Spicy Apricot Sauce Recipe

Baked Coconut Shrimp With Spicy Apricot Sauce Recipe

Do you have a favorite food that makes you weak in the knees? For me, that would be coconut shrimp, but this dish is often an occasional indulgence because of the fried factor. But behold Baked Coconut Shrimp! Hello!

This delicious recipe (adapted from tablespoon.com), featuring Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning and Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend, is a lighter version of its cousin, fried coconut shrimp, as it uses egg whites and is baked to a golden brown in the oven.

Engulfed in a blanket of sweet crispy coconut and served with a spicy apricot-pineapple sauce, this easy-baked shrimp recipe is the perfect treat for dinner, lunch, or as an elegant appetizer for guests. It is healthy, easy, and tasty, and although this dish may be low in fat, it is high in flavor! You may want to grab some for yourself because these succulent morsels will disappear right before your eyes!

Thanks for stopping by:) Comment below if you have made this recipe. Come back again for more family-tested recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products.

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Ingredients

• 1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined (if using frozen shrimp, thaw in the refrigerator)

• 2 egg whites

• 2 1/2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) cornstarch

• 1 teaspoon (tsp.) Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning

• 2 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

• Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend

• Cooking Spray

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp.) Lime juice

• Hot sauce (a few drops will do ya!)

• 1/2 cup Apricot Preserves

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Clean and dry shrimp. Carefully separate the yolks from the egg whites, using the shell as a separator, and reserve the egg yolks for another yummy recipe.  Add the Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning to the egg whites and mix.

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand held mixer until the egg whites make soft peaks, about a few minutes.

Arrange three bowls on your prep surface and place the following ingredients in the bowls in this order, corn starch, egg whites, and the shredded coconut.  Hold shrimp by the tail and dip into the cornstarch, then the egg whites, followed by the coconut and place on the parchment lined baking sheet.  

Place the shrimp on the baking sheet, sprinkle them with Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub, lightly spray with cooking oil, and bake the shrimp in the oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

 While the shrimp are cooking, prepare the dipping sauce.  Mix together the Apricot Preserves, the hot sauce (to taste), and the lime juice.  

When the shrimp are golden brown, remove them from the oven and serve immediately with the dipping sauce.  Enjoy!

Stacked Crab Mango Avocado Recipe

Stacked Crab Mango Avocado Salad Recipe

Cook Time: No cooking!  

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Difficulty:  Easy

Makes 2-3 crab stacks (or 1 if you're really hungry:)

If you want to wow your guests with a light, tasty lunch, salad, or appetizer, this stacked crab tower bursting with flavor is the perfect recipe for you! Your guests will think you spent hours creating this mouth-watering masterpiece. 

I recently had a variation of this recipe at a local restaurant, and since then, I have been obsessed with recreating it at home; however, the thought of making it myself seemed daunting. That was until I learned I could make this crab stack with a soup can rather than buy another kitchen tool. Hello! Determined to satisfy my crab craving and make something other than our usual crab cakes (which are delicious), I was going to create this tasty culinary tower!

And create I did. I made and treated myself to this delicious stacked crab salad featuring crab, mango, and avocado and drizzled it with a tangy citrus cilantro dressing. And I felt like Mrs. Fancy Pants:) This delicious recipe was not daunting; it was easy, delicious, light, and bursting with flavor, and it all came together in minutes! I will make this for my next "girl's night out" and serve it with crackers as an appetizer.

So, are you ready to get stacking? Grab your soup can and make this delicious crab mango and avocado salad today. Have fun creating different combinations, but report back. We would love to hear about your variations. I may add chopped red onion and our Pretty Peppers to the layers the next time I make this.

Thanks for stopping by; here is how we made it!

Ingredients

• 1 10 oz. can of lump meat crab

• 1 large avocado, chopped

• 1 large mango, chopped

• 1 lime, sliced in half

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp.) orange juice

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp.) rice vinegar

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning Blend

Preparation

Slice an avocado in half, remove the pit by inserting a knife and twisting, score the avocado with a knife, and scoop out pulp into a small bowl. Squeeze one half of the lime over the avocados and gently mix.  Set aside.

Peel mango with a vegetable peeler, cut the fruit off the mango, cut into small chunks, and place the mango in a separate small bowl.  Open both ends of a soup can and reserve contents for another time (perhaps you want soup with this delicious salad).  Thoroughly clean the can.  (If using a can of crab, simply open both ends, empty contents, clean and use in your crab stack).

Drain the crab and place in another small bowl.  Prepare the dressing by mixing the rest of the lime juice, orange juice, vinegar, olive oil, and Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning.  Set aside. Now, let's get stacking!

Place the can on a plate.  Carefully add the avocado to the can and gently press the avocado in the mold with a spatula or spoon.  Next add the mango followed by the crab and tamp down just as you did with the avocado.

Carefully push the stack through the can with a spatula onto the plate.  Drizzle with the dressing and serve immediately.  Behold, the Stacked Crab Mango Avocado Salad!  Enjoy:)

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Stacked Crab Mango Avocado Salad Recipe

Blackberry Chicken Flatbread Recipe

I love experimenting in the kitchen with new recipes, new flavors, new textures, and new uses for leftovers, and this recipe in particular caught my eye.  My hubby calls these type of recipes, "girlie" (meaning he won't touch them), but I call them "all the more for me and my friends" recipes;)  

This "girlie" recipe is adapted from Lively Table, with a few Cherchies® tweaks, but it's full of flavor and texture...kind of like me :), and it features our our award-winning Cherchies® Champagne Mustard, juicy blackberries, and delicious melty cheese.  Yum! This flatbread would make the perfect light appetizer or lunch.

Thank you for stopping by!

Ingredients

• 1 fresh pizza dough (Feel free to use your favorite flatbread as a substitute)

• 2 tsp olive oil

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) Cherchies® Garlic'n Herbs Seasoning Blend

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp.) Cherchies® Champagne Mustard

• 1 (4oz.) ball fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into thin slices

• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

• 1/4 cup shaved fennel, plus 1-2 tbsp fronds for garnish

• 2-4 oz thinly sliced grilled chicken (about 1/2 small breast). Leftover chicken is also perfect

• 1/2 cup blackberries

• 1-2 tbsp balsamic reduction

Preparation

1. Preheat oven and pizza stone to 425° F.

2. For the Balsamic Reduction, place 1/4 cup of Balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan. Cook the vinegar on medium-low until vinegar has reduced to a thick syrupy consistency (about 2 Tablespoons).

3. Roll out the pizza dough and place on a preheated pizza stone.

4. Lightly spread oil over crust. Sprinkle Cherchies® Garlic'n Herbs Seasoning Blend over the dough. Next, spread the Cherchies® Champagne Mustard over the pizza crust. Then top the crust with cheese, onion, fennel bulb, and chicken.

5. Bake the loaded flatbread for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with fennel fronds (fancy for the green fennel tips, chopped), blackberries, and drizzle with the balsamic reduction. Cut into squares and serve immediately. Enjoy!

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Blackberry Chicken Flatbread Recipe

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Enjoy!