Use It Or Lose It - 7 Layer Dip

Welcome to the newest segment of my blog, Use It Or Lose It!

Every Sunday, I will clean out my fridge and create a dish using the week's leftovers and foods on the brink of expiration.

Today's ingredients:

2 cups of Spanish rice

1/4 cup of guacamole

Tortilla chips from a restaurant

Velveeta (2 weeks opened, 1 week left!)

2 cups of leftover rice was daunting. I love rice, but I'm not in love with rice. I do really like the use of rice on the 7-Layer Burrito from Taco Bell. Once I got that in my head, I couldn't get it out. So, I went down to the old Tienda Morelos and got sour cream, an avocado (to bulk up my leftover guac), and refried beans.

(If you've never shopped at the Mexican grocery, I highly recommend it! They had flavors of refried beans I had never seen before; Chorizo, jalapeno, chipotle, 'Traditional' and 'Authentic'? What's the difference? ...Anyway, I went with the Chorizo.)

2 Tbsp butter

2/3 cup milk

2 oz cubed Velveeta or cheese of choice

1-2 cups leftover rice

1 can refried beans

1/3 cup salsa

2/3 cup guacamole

2/3 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded lettuce

1/2 cup shredded cheese of choice

Prepare a large baking dish, 9x13 or similar.

Layers:

1 - Melt butter in a saucepan. Add milk and cheese, stir until cheese is melted. Add rice and refried beans, stir until just heated through. Pour bean mixture into prepared dish. Allow to cool if it's too hot.

2 - Pour salsa over beans and carefully spread into an even layer. 

3 - Carefully spread guacamole into an even layer on top of the salsa.

4 - Carefully spread sour cream into an even layer on top of the guacamole.

5 - Sprinkle lettuce on top of sour cream.

6 - Sprinkle cheese on top of lettuce

7 - Your favorite hot sauce! 

(You can also have fun with black olives, diced tomatoes, green onions, etc... And as always, season to taste.)

Spoon onto a plate and serve with tortilla chips, or if you're feeling bold, wrap some dip up in a flour tortilla.