7-Layer Salad Dip

I know this poor blog isn't getting as much attention as it once did, but it will, I promise.  I do plan on getting back to cooking very soon.

In the meantime, here's a recipe I made this weekend for a wine tasting fundraiser my sister-in-law had.  I stumbled onto this recipe from Tasty Kitchen in search of something to make.  It was outstanding.  Really the belle of the ball. 

The only substitution I made was I used Canola oil mayo instead of regular mayo. And truth be told, you could fore go the mayo all together.  The dip was a bit too loose for me, especially for a dip that's supposed to be a mold.  Next time, I'll 86 the mayo and just use cream cheese.

Oh that's another sub I made, I used low-fat cream cheese. I don't really think you can tell the difference in recipes like this.

7-Layer Salad Dip

Courtesy of Tasty Kitchen

Recipe from Tasty Kitchen
Makes 15 servings

6 strips bacon
3 whole plum tomatoes, diced (I cleaned out the insides of the tomatoes so it wouldn't be so juicy.)
4 whole green onions, sliced
16 ounces, weight cream cheese, softened (I used fat free.)
1-½ cup frozen peas, thawed (oh crap. I totally didn't add these in. Oops)
4 ounces, weight shredded colby-jack cheese
¼ c mayonnaise (I used Canola mayo, but would not use this in the next version.)
2 cloves garlic, pressed
¼ tsp salt
¾ tsp coarse black pepper
1 loaf whole wheat french bread (I actually used wheat thins instead of bread.)
olive oil, for brushing on your bread Slices
garlic powder, to taste, to sprinkle on the bread

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy then remove it from the pan. When it’s cool, chop bacon. Reserve 3 tablespoons.

Cut up veggies, set aside.

Soften cream cheese by putting it into a bowl and letting it come to room temperature. Then stir in peas, cheese, green onions, mayo, garlic, salt and black pepper.

Line a medium bowl with plastic wrap. Place 3 tablespoons of bacon pieces in the bottom. Spread 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture over the bottom, then top that with 1/2 the tomatoes and 1/2 the remaining bacon. Repeat layers, ending with a final layer of cream cheese. Press the mixture down into the bowl and refrigerate until serving time.

Cut your whole wheat French bread loaf into 1/4-inch slices, brush each slice with olive oil and season with garlic powder. Put the slices on a baking tray. Bake at 350 F for 8 minutes or until toasted.

When ready to serve, invert the bowl onto a platter. Remove plastic and place toasted bread around your amazing dip!