Healthy Diet: Guacamole
Posted on May 03, 2016
Posted in: Healthy Diet
Healthy Diet: Guacamole
Adapted slightly from Simply Recipes
It is Cinco de Mayo on Thursday which, contrary to popular belief, is not just about drinking margaritas and eating tacos. It commemorates the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867). It is a relatively minor holiday in Mexico as compared to the United States where the day has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage. I don’t really buy into the party ethos that surrounds the day but I do like to whip up a Mexican feast. Whether it’s tacos, enchiladas or nachos, everything is better with a dollop of guacamole. And even if you are planning on going out, it is easy to make some guacamole as a pre-party snack. It is always a good idea to have something in your stomach before you start drinking those margaritas. You can buy Hass avocados at any grocery store, although most likely they will be hard and green. To speed the ripening process, put your avocados into a paper bag and leave them on the counter for 24 hours. If you forgot to buy avocados at the grocery or cannot find ripe ones in time, then try your local Kwik Trip. The one by my house always carries just-ripe avocados. Try it next time you are craving guacamole and there is nary a ripe avocado to be found. Also this recipe can be doubled easily if you are expecting a crowd.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp of fresh lime juice or lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp to 1/4 cup of minced red onion or thinly sliced green onion
- 4-8 dashes of Tabasco
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
- A dash of freshly grated black pepper
- 1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
METHOD
- Cut avocado, remove flesh: Cut the avocados in half. Remove seed. Score the inside of the avocado with a blunt knife and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Place in a bowl.
- Mash with a fork: Using a fork, roughly mash the avocado. (Don’t overdo it! The guacamole should be a little chunky.)
- Add salt, lime juice, and the rest: Sprinkle with salt and lime (or lemon) juice. The acid in the lime juice will provide some balance to the richness of the avocado and will help delay the avocados from turning brown.
- Add the chopped onion, cilantro, and black pepper.
- Remember that much of this is done to taste because of the variability in the fresh ingredients. Start with this recipe and adjust to your taste.
- Cover with plastic and chill to store: Place plastic wrap on the surface of the guacamole cover it and to prevent air reaching it. (The oxygen in the air causes oxidation which will turn the guacamole brown.) Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Chilling tomatoes hurts their flavor, so if you want to add chopped tomato to your guacamole, add it just before serving.
Photo credit: Simply Recipes