Spider Dip . . BOO!

I wanted to share this tasty dip with you before Halloween.  I made it for the Missionaries the night of the party we had for them.  It's a variation on my Mexican dip, with the main variations being in how you layer everything in the dish and in presentation.




Everyone always enjoys this dip . . .  spiders or not!  It's a delicious layer of refried beans, salsa, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, cream cheese, spices, and of course toppings . . .  spring onions, black olives, lettuce and tomatoes if you so choose.



This time I put the grated cheese layer in between the quacamole and the salsa . . .  and then I piped the sour cream/cream cheese layer on top in a spiral.

 

You need only then gently pull a skewer or a toothpick through the spirals from the inside out at intervals to create the spiderweb look . . .  the spiders are halved ripe black olives, with some sliced olives cut in half for legs . . .



The lettuce and spring onion are sliced very thinly and sprinkled around the edges so as to resemble grass or bushes, etc.   Altogether the end result is something which is titillatingly spooky . . . . feel the shivers  . . .  and quite, QUITE delicious!  This is sure to be a big hit at any Halloween get-together you might host! (Or as a covered dish to take to a party)

*Mexican Spider Dip*
Serves 12 to 16

Printable Recipe 

This is my very popular mexican dip dressed up for Halloween.  The layering is slightly different for this so that you can make it look like a spider's web.  People just love it!   

1 can (28 oz) refried beans (2-425g tins)
1 pkg. (8 oz. or 250g) cream cheese, softened
1 cup (250ml)of sour cream
1 TBS ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chili powder
1 cup guacamole
1 cup chunky style salsa (small jar)
1 cup finely shredded lettuce (a really large handful)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1/4 cup thinly sliced  green onions (2 to 3)
2 Tbsp. sliced pitted black olives
several whole pitted black olives
1/4 cup chopped and seeded tomatoes, optional (about 1 medium tomato)

lightly salted tortilla chips for dipping






Spread refried beans onto bottom of large quiche dish.   Layer on the salsa, spreading it to cover the beans.  Sprinkle most of the cheese over top. (reserve a bit for the garnish)  Carefully spread the quacamole over the cheese to cover.   Mix cream cheese, sour cream and seasonings together until well blended. Put into a piping bag.  Snip the end off and then pipe into a spiral swirl beginning at the centre of the dish and working towards the outer edges.  If you have any left, pipe ia all around the edge to use up.   Take a toothpick and working from the centre out to the edge, gently pull lines out to resemble a spider's web.

 

Cut several of the whole olives in half and then place onto the "Web."  Cut the sliced olives into "legs" and place them around the olive halves to look like spiders.   Chop the remainder of the olives.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese around the edge of the dish. Sprinkle on the chopped olives.  Top with the finely shredded lettuce and the spring onions.  If you are using chopped tomatoes, do likewise. Cover tightly with plastic cling film. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled.  Serve with lightly salted tortilla chips for dipping.

Calories Per serving,

(based on 16 servings):  198

Fat:  13.9g

Carbs: 12.4g

Fibre: 3.7g

Sugars: 0.8g

Protein: 6.9g