The husband and I have tried all manner of cheese dips over the years. We have some variation of taco night at least once a week and sometimes we like to make it a really fancy occasion by adding cheese dip. I don't allow this often because I have, literally, no control over myself when it comes to tortilla chips and cheese dip and I often eat so much that I barely have room for dinner...and I'm always trying to be less fat. Well, not so much now that I'm pregnant, but usually I am :)
Over the years we've tried many variations in an attempt to mimic Qdoba's 3-cheese queso. The closest we've come is a mix of white American, monterey jack, and a little cheddar cheese combined with oven-roasted poblanos and tomatoes. This is good, but fairly time-consuming as it seems to take forever for veggies to oven-roast long enough to attain that nice char that we all like. That's a weekend activity, not a weeknight one, in my opinion.
Anyway, I pinned this recipe on pinterest months ago and decided to finally give it a try. It doesn't taste like Qdoba's, but it tastes almost exactly like the cheese dip at the local Mexican restaurant It was also much quicker than the recipe that requires oven-roasted peppers!
The only downside is that white American cheese (found at the deli counter) is not cheap. Generally around $6.99/lb. This is good because American cheese is bad for you and you shouldn't eat this dip everyday, but it also stinks because when you do want to make this, the cheese is going to run you about $9. For a party or a special taco night, however, it's totally worth it!
The story of this particular dip is that the author of the blog, Pennies on a Platter had posted a cheese dip that she liked and in the comments section, someone shared this recipe, which was the one from the Mexican restaurant where she worked. (If this was my employee, I'd fire her immediately for sharing this cheesy secret with the world, haha).
Queso Blanco Dip
1 1/4 (1.25) lb block White American Cheese (Land O'Lakes brand preferred), cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup diced green chiles
2 pickled jalapenos, chopped
1 ounce pickled jalapeno juice
2/3 cup whole milk (I used some half n half that needed to be used up, you could use 2%)
1/2 cup cold water
pinch of cumin (optional) - I chose to omit this
Toss all ingredients into a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 5-8 minutes, stopping to stir after every minute. The mixture might seem watery during the first few stirs, but should come together as a nice runny dip after all the cheese is melted.
Serve immediately as a dip with tortilla chips or as a sauce over your favorite Mexican dish.
*Reheat Instructions: Store any leftover cheese dip in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until creamy and hot.
Over the years we've tried many variations in an attempt to mimic Qdoba's 3-cheese queso. The closest we've come is a mix of white American, monterey jack, and a little cheddar cheese combined with oven-roasted poblanos and tomatoes. This is good, but fairly time-consuming as it seems to take forever for veggies to oven-roast long enough to attain that nice char that we all like. That's a weekend activity, not a weeknight one, in my opinion.
Anyway, I pinned this recipe on pinterest months ago and decided to finally give it a try. It doesn't taste like Qdoba's, but it tastes almost exactly like the cheese dip at the local Mexican restaurant It was also much quicker than the recipe that requires oven-roasted peppers!
The only downside is that white American cheese (found at the deli counter) is not cheap. Generally around $6.99/lb. This is good because American cheese is bad for you and you shouldn't eat this dip everyday, but it also stinks because when you do want to make this, the cheese is going to run you about $9. For a party or a special taco night, however, it's totally worth it!
The story of this particular dip is that the author of the blog, Pennies on a Platter had posted a cheese dip that she liked and in the comments section, someone shared this recipe, which was the one from the Mexican restaurant where she worked. (If this was my employee, I'd fire her immediately for sharing this cheesy secret with the world, haha).
Queso Blanco Dip
1 1/4 (1.25) lb block White American Cheese (Land O'Lakes brand preferred), cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup diced green chiles
2 pickled jalapenos, chopped
1 ounce pickled jalapeno juice
2/3 cup whole milk (I used some half n half that needed to be used up, you could use 2%)
1/2 cup cold water
pinch of cumin (optional) - I chose to omit this
Toss all ingredients into a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 5-8 minutes, stopping to stir after every minute. The mixture might seem watery during the first few stirs, but should come together as a nice runny dip after all the cheese is melted.
Serve immediately as a dip with tortilla chips or as a sauce over your favorite Mexican dish.
*Reheat Instructions: Store any leftover cheese dip in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until creamy and hot.
No comments:
Post a Comment