This dinner is vibrant, full of flavor, and unique. It uses lots of fresh ingredients, essential oils, and healthy carbohydrates to create a dinner that is out of this world. The entire family will enjoy gathering around the table to dive into this Tex-Mex inspired meal.
Table of Contents:
The Importance of Family Dinner
There’s nothing better than family dinner! Studies have proven that students who participate in family dinners are less likely to display at-risk behaviors. (1) In a busy world, it’s essential to take time to slow down and truly connect with those in our own homes.
From experience, I’ve learned that a hot meal like my Healthy Taco Layered Dip can open doors for families to have many beautiful heart-to-hearts. Here are a few fun tips to make your family dinners feel special.
- Choose meals that take time to eat! Cultivating a “slow food movement” in your home can set the mood for a slower pace of life, at least during the dinner hour.
- Include the entire family in dinner prep. Even little ones can toss a salad, set the table, or season food before baking.
- Set the mood by crafting a beautiful table. A simple tablecloth, good dishes, and a floral arrangement can do wonders!
- Every so often, serve a healthy dessert. This is an instant mood-booster in our home. Who doesn’t like a treat? I suggest trying my Crustless Cranberry Pie or Vanilla Ice Cream.
- Theme nights are so fun for kids and adults! Easy themes include breakfast for dinner, pasta night, charcuterie boards, and Tex-Mex night.
- Involve each family member in conversation by asking meaningful questions.
- Be sure to pray before each meal! Prayer builds connection and reminds us how blessed we are.
Healthy Dip Ingredient 101
This meal uses simple, flavorful ingredients that meld together for a meal to remember. All of these ingredients are easily found at most grocery stores, and you probably have some of them in your pantry already!
Brown Rice: This frugal pantry staple is a filling base for our dip. Healthy carbohydrates are crucial to your diet because they help your body burn fat. They can also elevate serotonin levels in the brain, making you feel happier! (2)
White rice tends to spike blood sugars, so we don’t recommend using it. Brown rice is gentle on your adrenals, and it has a better texture than white, in my opinion.
Butter or Coconut Oil: A little bit of fat added to the brown rice makes it silky smooth! When choosing butter, try to find butter that is grass-fed and organic. If you decide to use coconut oil, go with the refined variety that won’t add a hint of coconut to your dish.
Haas Avocados: There is nothing better than a fresh avocado! Half an avocado has been shown to decrease your desire to eat for several hours. afterward (3) Avocados are one of the healthiest fats out there.
I love the energy boost that comes with this fruit! In this recipe, we use it to create a dairy-free guacamole-style layer.
Lime Essential Oil: We blend EOs with our guacamole layer, which gives it a unique flavor. Lime essential oil compliments Tex-Mex spices beautifully! This essential oil is full of d-limonene, which is excellent for the mood and helps protect the body from stress.
Cilantro Essential Oil: Cilantro is a classic herb used in many Mexican dishes. I love the deep earthy flavor it gives this dip! Cilantro EO is associated with digestive benefits, and it’s full of antioxidants.
Safety Note: Ingesting essential oils is perfectly safe when done correctly. We have plenty of healthy fats in this recipe that help disperse the EOs. You never want to ingest any essential oil neat!
Vegan Mayonnaise: We want to keep this meal dairy-free, and vegan mayo helps us do that! When purchasing mayonnaise, look for a grapeseed oil or avocado-oil-based variety. Organic and health food markets often have a wonderful selection of these products.
Mama Z’s Taco Seasoning: This spice blend takes minutes to make, and it tastes fantastic. I love whipping up my own seasonings because there are no added fillers, and I know exactly what’s in my food.
If you don’t have the ingredients to make my blend, you can always purchase pre-made taco seasoning.
Green Chile Peppers and Roma Tomatoes: When these two ingredients are blended, they create a salsa-like layer that adds moisture and freshness to our dip. I love using green chile peppers because they aren’t overly spicy, which keeps this dinner family-friendly.
Olives: I love the flavor of black olives! They’re full of inflammation-fighting antioxidants, and they can destroy harmful microorganisms. (4) For this recipe, you’ll need pitted and sliced black olives. We like having extra olives on hand to garnish the dish.
Dairy-Free Cheese: Every layered dip needs a cheesy layer! You can find dairy-free cheese in many grocery stores these days, and if not, most managers are willing to place a product request. Good brands of dairy-free cheese include Kite Hill, Daiya, So Delicious, Violife Foods, and Follow Your Heart.
Make Healthy Taco Layered Dip
While this recipe requires some assembly, it comes together in a cinch. Feel free to serve it for dinner or bring it to a party as a fun appetizer. If serving as an appetizer, I recommend adding carrots or celery for dipping delight!
- ½ cup raw organic brown basmati rice
- Grass-fed butter or raw organic coconut oil
- 1 (16-ounce) can organic vegetarian refried black beans
- 3 large organic Hass avocados, peeled and pitted
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
- 3 drops lime essential oil
- 3 drops cilantro essential oil
- 8 ounces soy-free Veganaise or your preferred avocado-oil or grapeseed oil vegan mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Mama Z's Taco Seasoning, or preservative-free taco seasoning such as Primal Palate organic
- 1 (4-ounce) can organic fire-roasted green chile peppers, drained and chopped
- 3 medium or 5 small organic Roma tomatoes, chopped
- ¾ cup pitted and sliced organic black olives, plus more (optional) for serving
- 2 cups shredded dairy-free Cheddar-style cheese alternative*
- Supplies:
- Saucepan
- 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking dish
- Food processor
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a small saucepan set over high heat, bring 1 cup water to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer, and add the rice and a tablespoon of butter. Cover and cook for 10 to 14 minutes. (It can be slightly undercooked as it will absorb more liquid while it bakes.)
- Spread an even layer of the refried beans on the bottom of an 8 x8 x 2-inch baking dish. Cover with the cooked rice.
- Place the avocados in a food processor or a bowl. Add the lime juice and the essential oils and blend or mash until well combined. Spread the mixture evenly on top of the rice.
- Blend the vegan mayonnaise and the taco seasoning together in a bowl or food processor. Spread evenly over the avocado layer. In the food processor, blend the chiles and tomatoes together and layer them evenly over the taco seasoning, followed with a layer of black olives.
- Top off with the Cheddar-style shreds.
- Bake for 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how crisp you want the cheese.
- Serve with gluten-free taco chips, extra olives, and sliced avocado, or over a salad.
Step One: Cook the Rice
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a fast boil. Reduce the heat to low, and add the rice and a tablespoon of butter. Cover and let simmer for 10 to 14 minutes. If your rice isn’t fully cooked within 14 minutes, no worries! It will absorb more liquid as it bakes.
Step Two: Layer the Beans and Rice
Spread an even layer of refried beans on the bottom of an 8x8x2 inch baking dish. Cover with cooked rice.
Step Three: Create the Guacamole Layer
Place the avocados in a food processor or bowl. Add the lime juice and essential oils. Mash or process until well combined. Spread the mixture over the rice.
Step Four: Layer the Taco Seasoning Mixture
In a small bowl, mix the taco seasoning and vegan mayonnaise. Spread evenly over the avocado layer.
Step Five: Create the Salsa Layer
In a food processor or blender, blend your chiles and tomatoes together and layer them evenly over the taco seasoning. Follow with a layer of black olives and top with the Cheddar-style shreds.
Bake for 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how crisp you like your cheese. Serve with gluten-free taco chips, extra olives, and sliced avocado. You can also serve over a salad if you want to add more veggies to the mix.
The best thing about this recipe is that you can customize it to fit your mood. Skip the baking time and serve it raw, as seen in the left side of the photo, or heat it to melt the cheese. When serving this dip raw, be sure to add lots of veggies for dipping delight!
- https://jandonline.org/article/S0002-8223(07)01470-8/fulltext
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8697046/
- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-research-examines-effects-of-eating-half-an-avocado-with-lunch-on-satiety-and-desire-to-eat-between-meals-239237591.html
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19079898/
