Guacamole Recipe

There are few foods that herald summer like the freshness of homemade guacamole. For those of us well acquainted with the cool, deliciously earthy, yet creamy flavors contained in this dip or garnish we know that a good meal usually accompanies a good guacamole. Then there are those of us who may never have tried guacamole or even heard of it (trust me, they are out there). My cousin was once one of those people. She saw the guacamole my family was making at home one day and was frankly a little repulsed by the light green goop. After a little persuasion, she tried it and reluctantly admitted that her protestations were in error. The stuff is just delicious.

Below, I have a basic recipe for a core guacamole with some chunkiness that you can infuse with your own flair. For example, I always add cilantro to mine, but a delicious guacamole with fresh ingredients doesn’t require it, so if you are cilantro-averse, just skip that step. I have also made this guacamole with garlic, which completely changes up the flavor and gives it a restaurant-style quality. If you like garlic, then try it out. If you would rather stick with a classically refreshing guacamole, then skip it. Lastly, I know that some people even put hard boiled eggs into their guacamole. I tried this once just to see what all the fuss was about and learned that it was yet another delicious variation on a classic guacamole. All of the instructions are below for creating your own version using a simple base. The recipe makes enough for a small party, but believe me, it won’t last the night. Four people with little self-control could easily eat all of the guacamole in one sitting!

Makes one large bowl at 1385 – 1705 calories total (depending on how many avocados you use).

Ingredients:

• 4 – 5 large ripe avocados (about 320 cal. each or 1280 – 1600 cal. total)
• 2 small plum tomatoes (11 cal. each or 22 cal. total)
• 1/4 sweet onion (about 11 cal.)
• 1/2 fresh lime (10 cal.)
• 1/4 Teaspoon of salt
• Optional, but highly encouraged: 3 Tablespoons fresh diced cilantro (1 cal.)
• Optional: 1/2 Teaspoon fresh crushed garlic (2 cal.)
• Optional: 1 boiled large egg (70 cal.)

Equipment:

• Large bowl for mixing
• Potato Masher/Ricer
• Knife
• Garlic press (if adding garlic)
• Spoon
• Cutting board
• Tablespoon and Teaspoon measurements
• Small pot (if making an egg)

Directions:

1. First, prep your vegetables by dicing the tomatoes, onions, and cilantro if you enjoy cilantro.
   
2. The easiest way to cut open an avocado is to slice one in half length-wise, keeping in mind that you have to cut around the large pit in the center, so you will need to rotate the avocado as you cut. Then gently twist the two halves in opposite direction as if twisting apart an Oreo. The halves should separate easily if the avocado is ripe and the pit usually sticks to one of the two sides. Next, use either a spoon or a knife to dig out the pit as cleanly as possible. If you’re feeling fancy, look up how some chefs take the pit out by sticking the blade of a knife into the pit and twisting. Check out this simple and to the point video below:
   
3. Next, take an avocado half in one hand and score the avocado while it is still in its skin. That means, cutting vertical and horizontal slices across the avocado without slicing through the skin. Be careful because if you push too hard, the knife blade can pop through the skin and possibly hit your hand.
   
4. Squeeze the avocado flesh out into a bowl and you’ll get little cubes of avocado, which make for great chunkiness if you like your guacamole chunky or if you simply want easy avocado cubes. The other option is to simply skip the scoring and squeeze the skin of the avocado until the inside pops out. This should be very easy if the avocado is ripe. Otherwise, use a spoon to scoop out the contents.
   
5. Repeat this process for the rest of the avocados.
   
6. Once you have all of the avocado out, make sure to work quickly because avocados can brown after a very short time when exposed to the air. At this point squeeze half a lime over all of the avocado bits. This adds flavor, but also helps keep the avocados from turning brown.
7. You can now decide if you want smooth or chunky guacamole. Both have their merits, but if you want avocado chunks in it, then remove about 1/4 of the avocado into an air tight container. Otherwise, continue by mashing the avocados using a potato masher or a fork.
   
8. With the avocados mashed to the desired consistency, add in the diced tomatoes, onions, and any avocado chunks you may have saved. Make sure you have mashed the avocados as you like them, because you won’t be mashing them anymore.
   
9. Using a spoon, mix the ingredients well.
   
10. If you like cilantro, then go ahead and add the cilantro to the guacamole and mix it up as well.
    
11. Lastly, add in the optional crushed garlic. Keep in mind that the guacamole is already delicious, but the garlic adds an entirely different layer of flavor. I enjoy this guacamole both with and without the garlic, so it is up to you how you would prefer to eat it. If you want a truly fresh and light flavor that compliments any dish, then skip the garlic. If you want a great stand-alone dip with a mild kick, then add the garlic.
12. Garnish with some cilantro or other veggie, and the guacamole is ready to serve or get refrigerated (and covered) until you are ready to use it.
    
13. If you’re feeling especially adventurous, boil an egg, slice it up, and spread it out as a garnish over the guacamole. You can also mix the egg right into the guacamole. It adds a really interesting, delicious, and complimentary texture to the dip.
    
14. I would also recommend making some homemade corn tortilla chips by cutting up small tortillas into triangles and then frying them in oil before salting. For a slightly lower calorie approach, cut the tortillas, lay them on a baking sheet, spray with cooking spray, salt them, and bake in the oven at 375 degrees F until golden brown.