Halloween 2016 was the fist official Halloween in my new hood, and I was wicked excited about it. We decorated our driveway, made chili and layer dip, spiked cider, and even carried our fire pit down so we could keep toasty while handing out candy. The graveyard dip is a fun way to add a little scare to your Halloween table. I’ve whipped up this graveyard dip before for an office party a few years ago and to my delight, none of it made it back home with me. (My layer dip was kind of famous back in Texas.)  It requires a wee bit of extra time to make a few of the layers from scratch but so worth it. Making a fresh batch of refried beans or guacamole is just out of this world better in flavor than buying the premade versions. If you are in a time crunch tho, of course just pick up your favorite brands. Oh and this is an AMAZING recipe for any upcoming football parties too.

Graveyard Dip

Ingredients:

1 can Vegetarian Refried Black Beans or refried beans of your choice

Note: I made a batch of Black beans in the crock pot to add to my chili and had a couple cups of beans leftover and so it was easy for me to make the refried beans from scratch. Not everyone is as crazy as me in the kitchen tho.

2 Ripe Avocados, pits removed

16 0z Light Sour Cream

1 pkg Taco Shredded Cheese

1/4 head of iceberg, shredded

1 cup Pico de Gallo or your favorite salsa

1/4 teaspoon TexJoy chili powder

1/4 teaspoon Garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon Onion powder

1/4 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

1/4 teaspoon Cumin

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 whole wheat flour tortillas, cut into graveyard theme shapes then toasted

Garnish: fresh cilantro, black olives, green scallions….whatever you like

Method:

In a medium mixing bowl, add the avocado and mash lightly. To the avocado add the sour cream and all the seasonings and mix until well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Set aside. In a glass casserole dish, or your favorite serving dish, spread the refried beans on the bottom of the dish with a spatula and evenly distribute as best you can. Top the beans with 1/2 of the shredded iceberg and cheese. Next spread on the seasoned avocado sour cream mix and then top with the remaining lettuce and cheese. Evenly spoon the pico de gallo or salsa over the top of that and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and black olives. Arrange the tortilla graveyard shapes about for a spooky finish. Serve with your favorite chips.

Variation: 

My Texas version of this recipe was layered with smashed Ranch Style Beans w/ Jalapenos, Sour Cream mixed with a package of Fiesta Ranch mix, and homemade guacamole.Since I haven’t been able to find Ranch Style Beans or Fiesta Ranch mix since moving to the East Coast, I’ve had to tweak my recipe over the years to fit what’s available to me. It’s easy enough to make a homemade version of Fiesta Sour Cream with a bit of chili powder and smoked paprika but in the above recipe I combined the guac and sour cream because my avocados weren’t as ripe as I needed them to be for fresh guac (plus I only had two on hand). So get creative and mix and match the layers however you like. You really can’t go wrong.