i dare you

i love guacamole. if my stomach would allow me, i would consume guacamole by the truckload. growing up in california, you learn the joy of mexican food- hello red onion!- and the heaven sent dip known as guacamole. of course i had to learn how to make it! and it's so very very easy. i dare you, no, i double dog dare you, to only eat one bite. it's not possible.

just look at that dip- chunks of beautifully green avocado mixed together with roughly chopped vine- ripened tomatoes and minced red onion to form a deliciously creamy dip. flavored with a splash of lemon juice, a sprinkling of salt and ground black pepper and a quick dash of garlic powder and you, my friend, have yourself a little bowl of california. 

we don't just eat this with chips- we've had this with quesadillas, inside tacos, on top of enchiladas. i could eat this stuff with a spoon, but since my hubby insists that i share- my preeccious- i'll grudgingly eat this with tostitos multigrain chips. hubby likes this best with chips and cheese, but we both agree that life is better with guacamole. 

maggie's "precious" guacamole

four ripe avocados- they should be tender, but still firm. if your finger leaves an imprint when you squeeze, it's over-ripe

one vine-ripe tomato, roughly chopped into bite-size pieces

1/4 of a medium red onion- finely minced

lemon juice- to taste, but start with about 3 tablespoons

salt, ground black pepper, and garlic powder- all to taste

optional- a touch of granulated sugar- i do this in the winter months when the tomatoes aren't the best

optional- a handful of cilantro, finely chopped

pit the avocados and scoop out into a medium sized bowl. splash some lemon juice over the avocados- this keeps them from oxidizing, and set aside.

in a food processor, blitz the onion until it's finely minced. add the tomato and process until the tomato is at the preferred size. you could do this all with a knife and a chopping board, but my kids like to push the buttons on my food processor. 

add the onion and tomato to the avocados and mash everything together until the guacamole is as chunky or as smooth as you like. add more lemon juice, if needed, then season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. taste and add more seasoning if desired. 

then... try not to eat all of the guacamole at once* 

*if you're serving this later, cover the bowl with plastic wrap so that the wrap is right on top of the guacamole. then add another layer of plastic wrap, this time covering the entire top of the bowl. this prevents any air from getting into the guacamole and oxidizing the avocados. first rule i learned when making guacamole- brown avocados are disgusting!

until next post- maggie