Monday, November 23, 2009

Crazy Cranberry Chip Dip

Seriously, this is a dangerous dip to have around. Oh so addicting and oh so bad for you. Do not be put off by the ingredients. Just trust me. This came about a couple of Thanksgivings ago when a friend was rummaging through my pantry looking for something to eat while waiting for the turkey. She remembered a dip she had at an office party but required a special raspberry dressing (which I'm too cheap to buy) but I thought--it's Thanksgiving, we should use cranberries!

So, if you recall where we left off yesterday, we have a lovely simple cranberry sauce.

So here we have a thickened version on the stove.


Add some water to thin it out a bit.


Then, break this bad boy out:


You should be able to find a can of chipotle peppers in your local grocery store or big box store. If I can find it out here in the middle of nowhere you can find it too. You might have to search though. It should either be near the canned peppers, jar salsa, or in the area labeled "world cuisine" or some other misnomer. Surprisingly, these areas are NOT next to each other.

You only need one pepper, chopped finely, and added to the cranberry sauce. Keep the rest of the peppers by individually freezing them on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Like so:
Once frozen, place peppers into a ziplock bag and remove when you need it (you'll be pulling one out in a day to make another batch after you take one taste of this magic!)

While this is simmering (remember add more water if you are likely to burn this sauce)...take out an 8 oz. block of cream cheese.

Whether you choose to use full fat, low-fat, or Neufchatel Cheese is up to you but I can guarantee you that there's no point in using fat free creamcheese.

Put the block on a plate and microwave for about 30 seconds--just long enough to warm it up and soften it.


Use a butter knife or off-set spatula to spread the cream cheese across the bottom of the plate.


Then take a can of black beans.

As a side note, whoever came up with the motto in this can of beans should be laughed out of a job. Seriously, it's beans. When have beans ever been food to feel good about? Ahem...remember I am the lovely recipient of the after-effects of said beans.

Anyway...open up the can of beans and drain really well. Dump the beans on the cheese and spread into a thin layer.


Put the dish back into the microwave for another 20-30 seconds to warm up the cheese and beans. Then pour your hot cranberry sauce over the top of the beans. If you like your cranberries thick and chucky, then simmer until more water evaporates before pouring it over your dish.


Then dig in!

The best chips to use with this dip, for some reason, are the
Tostitos Scoops Corn Chips but feel free to use any corn chip or tortilla chip of your choice.

Why does this taste soooo good??! Something about the smokey, spicy, sweet, salty, cruchy, creamy combination. It covers every single tactile and taste sensation there is to be enjoyed. I know the beans seem a little weird in this dish but you know how you aim for certain ingredients in say, a nacho plate or a 7-layer dip?

You know you do--admit it. Some of you go and scoop up all the sour cream or guacamole. Others go for all the chips covered in cheese. No one aims for the lettuce at the bottom of the dip. So it would surprise you to know that you will aim for the black beans. Don't know why but you will. You've been warned.

Enjoy!
Sugar*mama

No comments:

Post a Comment