After my trip to Guadalajara recently, I was in a very Mexican vibe… I wanted to eat over and over again the flavors of Mexico I had just experienced.
Now during the Holidays, if you want to enjoy a “dip” or appetizer with a Mexican influence, you can prepare a Cielito Lindo. I’ve heard people called this a 7-layer dip. But in Puerto Rico we call it a Cielito Lindo… maybe because we’re not tied to a specific amount of layers of ingredients. And what’s cool about this, you can construct the layers as you prefer, including everything you love or deleting anything you don’t. I personally do not like refried beans, so I never include them, but if they’re your “thing”, go ahead and add a layer of them.
I made this version in a large ramekin, but you can adjust the quantities to fit the larger plate or tray you want to use.
CIELITO LINDO
4 oz of cream cheese, room temperature 2 tbs of your favorite Mexican salsa ½ cup of shredded cheddar – mixture of white and orange works great ¼ cup of shredded lettuce ¼ cup of tomatoes, chopped finely 1 tbs sour cream Whole grain corn tortilla chips to accompany
This is more an assembly dish than a recipe…
- First, spread a layer of the softened cream cheese.
- Then spread the salsa on top of the cream cheese.
- Sprinkle half of the shredded cheese on top of salsa.
- Place a layer of the lettuce and the tomatoes on top of that.
- Sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheese and top with a dollop of sour cream.
Enjoy with your favorite whole-grain corn chips…
Does anyone know how it got the name Cielito Lindo?
Good, good question… we will need to investigate this one. 😉 Madelyn