Guaca-mol-e

So I lied, due to a request for my guacamole recipe, I will continue the chicken recipes early next week. I know you are all waiting with baited breath. Let us shift our focus to my favorite green food, the avocado. Not only is it creamy and delicious, but it packs a punch with nutrition. Yes, it is the only fruit with fat. But it is mostly monounsaturated fat, the kind your doctor tells you to eat. The avocado also has 60% more potassium than bananas, a lot of fiber, and over 25 vitamins and minerals. Not bad. Avocados go in a lot of dishes, but they are most famous for guacamole.

Now we are not talking your restaurant variety guacamole (though the stuff they make table side is pretty darn good). The every day kind is the packet you get off the shelf and add two avocados to it, mix, and call it a day. Yuck. Talk about not doing justice to the pitted wonder. No, guacamole is a simple, yet refined dip that requires just a little bit of patience. Start with your avocados. Now, these things ripen at room temperature. So it is a good idea to buy them a little under ripe (i.e. hard) and let them ripen at home. If you are in a hurry, put them in a paper bag and close it up (no plastic!!). If you are in a really big hurry, throw them in a paper bag with a banana. If you are in more of a hurry than that, sorry, can't help you. Avocados are ready to use when they have some give but are not totally mushy. You do not want hard, you want creamy. After ripe, they store in the fridge for up to two weeks. Which they fail to mention at any store or market.

On to our guac. To prep your avocado, simply take a knife and slice lengthwise along the center, splitting it in two. Take your knife (big one works better for this) and take a small whack at the pit so the knife sticks in it. Twist and the pit should pop out. Reach your fingers behind the pit (from the backside of the knife, not blade side) and squeeze on the pit; it should pop right off without you bloodying a perfectly good avocado.

Once you have made your guacamole, do not put the pit back in. This is a myth that does nothing. Press plastic wrap directly over your guacamole so there is no contact with air and then put a lid on your container. If you want some extra insurance, squeeze some lime juice over the top before putting the plastic wrap on. Guacamole does not keep for very long (thanks to the avocados browning in air), so try to make it as close to your meal as possible.

Guacamole

2 avocados, pitted
2 T lime juice (lemon works in a pinch)
2 green onions, diced
3-4 T salsa (recipe found here)
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Mash avocados with a fork, as chunky or as fine as you like. Add lime juice and incorporate into avocado. This will help prevent browning. Add green onions and salsa, season to taste. Serve with chips or over whatever food you can think of.