.baked santa fe dip.

I came across this recipe in one of my magazines years ago when I lived in Hawaii. I was intrigued by the ingredients but thought I'd give it a try (I'd never made a hot dip using mayo before and had no clue what a chipotle pepper was!). I was asked to bring an appetizer dip to a church party and decided to bring this as my dish. Well, it was so good I didn't even get any because it was gone in 15 minutes. No joking! So, of course, I had to make it again at home so hubby and I could finally have some.

I have since made this dip numerous times and have had people even request me make it for parties. It is *that* awesome.

The chipotle pepper gives this dip a nice smoky flavor and the salsa (pico de gallo) on top is a wonderful cool contrast to the warm, cheesy dip. The original recipe says to serve this with jicama, but we use tortilla chips.

Here's the recipe.

In a large mixing bowl, put:
2 bags pre-shredded cheese mexican blend (8 cups total)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 can corn, drained
1 can diced green chiles
1 Tbsp chipotle pepper (in adobo sauce)*
1 tsp garlic powder

*Add more if you want more heat.


Mix well and put in a baking dish. You can make this ahead of time, cover with saran and hold in the fridge overnight.

When you're ready to serve, put in a 350* oven for about 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and it's nice and bubbly.





While the dip is in the oven, make the pico de gallo.

In a bowl, mix together:
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 bunch green onion, chopped
chopped cilantro
squeeze of fresh lime
s&p

When the dip comes out of the oven, spoon the salsa down the middle of the dish. Serve immediately with tortlla chips.

For a healthier alternative, you can use reduced fat cheese and mayo. Serve with jicama or baked tortilla chips.

Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_30hsxqvtfd