Taco Dip (No Beans!)

We had been invited to a New Year's Eve party hosted by some of Ryan's friends. I always feel additional pressure to make an impression on his friends. It's 100% self-inflicted. They are a welcoming bunch and wouldn't know the difference, I'm sure, between my extra effort and my regular effort. But it matters to me. I want them to approve, to believe he chose well, and to be known as the wife who can cook. {Which of these things doesn't belong, right? Terribly self-serving.}

So when those goals collide with the onset of a new year and its accompanying healthy eating goals, a girl must scour Pinterest for a dish that is both tasty and won't leave the devour-ers with a belly full of regret the next day.

That's how I found the taco dip. It caught my eye mostly because it did not include beans. I hate beans. The only beans I actually like are cocoa and coffee. I eat other kinds, but not out of any form of desire. Completely out of obligation. But there are still come beans I absolutely cannot do. Among them: kidney and refried.

So a taco dip with no bean layer? You have my attention. A taco dip with no bean layer AND minimal guilt? Sign me up.

I took it to the party, it was loved, and in fact, Ryan so loved it that he's requested it multiple times since then. {This was one of the savory dishes we served at my Mom's 80th birthday party, by the way.}

Since it is now officially a Shafferland dish, with no going back, I present it to you as a recipe for the box!

Taco Dip

* 8 ounce brick of low-fat cream cheese
* 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
* 1 16-ounce jar of mild or medium salsa
* 2 Tablespoons of taco seasoning
* 2 cups of shredded lettuce
* 1 medium tomato, diced
* 1 small can of sliced back olives
* 1 1/2 cups low-fat shredded cheeese
* Low-fat tortilla chips or vegetables to dip

Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature, then combine it with the yogurt, salsa and taco seasoning and beat with a mixer until well combined. Pour in the bottom of a 9x13 dish. Sprinkle shredded lettuce over the mixture, top with diced tomatoes, cheese and black olives. Refrigerate until serving. Serve with low-fat tortilla chips or raw vegetables for dipping.

 A Few Tips:

* You can use regular 1/3 less fat cream cheese or the Greek Yogurt cream cheese. Either one works well.

* You can change the heat of the dish by the heat of the salsa. If you're serving it to a group, go mild, just in case. You don't want to make smoke come out of anyone's ears!

* I use my own homemade taco seasoning - recipe found here. If you don't make your own seasoning, you can just use a packet of your favorite seasoning.

* I let the cream cheese/salsa/yogurt/seasoning mixture go for a decent amount of time in the stand mixer to make sure all the chunks of cream cheese are broken up.

* I buy my lettuce already shredded to save time. Therefore, I get iceberg lettuce. If you want a little extra nutritional value to this dish, you could sub in spinach and chop it yourself. {It would be prettier, too, because it has more color!}

* I normally use a mix of low fat mozzarella cheese and regular cheddar. You could use whatever cheese blend you want - a Mexican blend or whatever you like for taste and aesthetics.

* This dish will keep for a day or so in the refrigerator, but after that, the yogurt gets really watery and runny.

* You can also use this as a topping over nachos in place of a processed cheese or something similar. It works well as a "dressing" since the yogurt layer isn't super thick.

Enjoy!!