Addictive Frankenstein Taco-Dip And The Veggies That Love It

Making a dip tends to be a tricky proposition when you're a modern paleo. Have you seen those packaged and canned sauces lately? Wheat gluten, soy, multisyllable ingredients that require a pronunciation guide to say correctly, and what the heck is yellow dye #5?

And, if you'd rather not dissolve those pesky bones in your body by eating corn tortillas, but you still want some kind of taco dish, and then it's time to get creative. Here's a simple "Frankenstein" taco dip and a new way to eat it.

The key players for tonight's show are:

1 lb of cream cheese (raw milk if ya got it or make your own, Nourishing Traditions-style, if you know how)
2 cups aged cheddar cheese (the older the better, especially if you can source raw milk cheddar)
1 lb ground beef or stew meat (I used my pastured stew beef and just cut it into smaller bits)
1-2 cups of organic caramelized onions and peppers cooked in pastured bacon grease or butter (I had some kicking around in the fridge from the night before and added these at the last minute but they really make the dip stand out-but it also makes it a Frankenstein dip; a little exciting, a little dangerous!)
1 large Green Pepper and/or Cucumber (I used the organic veggies from my new CSA, I don't notice a taste difference from regular veggies, but if you do, use organic)
Now for the taco seasoning:

2 TBS Chili Powder
1 1/2 TBS Cumin
1 1/2 TBS Smoked Paprika
1 TBS Onion Powder
1 TBS Garlic Powder
2 TBS Oregano

You can add 1/2 red pepper flakes if you want your seasoning to have a "kick".

By the way, this taco seasoning is probably better than any seasoning you can buy in the store, taste wise, in my opinion.

Start cooking up your onions and peppers in bacon grease. If you're out of bacon grease, shame on you. However, butter might be an acceptable substitute. I used bacon grease so I can't say how it affects the flavor, I'm guessing it'll still taste amazing. Place the cream cheese and cheddar in an oven-safe bowl and throw it in the oven to let everything melt. While you're doing that, cook up the beef and add the taco seasoning when the beef is almost done. Add some water to the mix if it looks a little dry.

Then, mix the cream cheese & cheddar, meat, and your onion and peppers together.

Now for the accoutrement! Slice up a green pepper into long strips suitable for dipping and attack the hot saucy mess with it! Alternatively, if you're more of a "chip" person, slice up cucumbers into little discs. They make excellent "chips" and the perfect vehicle for meat and fat.

This is seriously the best taco dip I've ever eaten, and even if you don't use the veggies to get the dip to your mouth, this dip is so rich and smooth, you could eat it with a spoon.

Caveat: If you're not using pastured beef, it may behoove you to drain off the excess grease/fat as it could be overwhelming in the dip.