I Heart You Guacamole!

The big game 2011. Safeway has an insane sale that ends the same day. I had to go. I arrived to find no available carts and lines down the aisle. Super Bowl madness. But, where there's a big game, there's an abundance of snack ideas staring you in the face. Chips here, sodas there....HAAS Avocados $1.00 each!!!!! Oh happy day. It never fails that when I want to make a nice batch of guacamole, the avocados aren't ripe enough and when I buy them in anticipation of making some when they've ripened, I just waste my time. So today, its raining ripe haas avocados at the beautiful price of $1.00 each. Heaven. I quickly pack a few nice ones in my cart and I grab a lime, a few tomatoes, cilantro, a sweet onion, and a serrano chile. I finish my shopping, despite the crowd and near empty shelves, and head home.

The thing with avocados is, if you don't know, you don't know. Many people often shy away from them because of their creamy texture. Some people find the color off putting. Others find shopping for them intimidating and confusing. But once you know, you know and there is no turning back. They are good for you as they are high in monounsaturated fat which helps good cholesterol....but, a little goes a long way here, so don't overdo it. They make great additions to a variety of salads and sandwiches. But the best thing they lend themselves to--in my opinion--is guacamole. It's velvety, salty, spicy, sweet...all that, and a bag of chips...literally. Good Stuff.

So, here's the low down on making your own "guac." First, choose an avocado which is brown on the exterior (resist the urge for a bright pretty green one). Feel it up. It should have give but not be mushy. Once you have your fruit in hand, you'll also need 1/4 cup of ripe tomato , half of a serrano chile finely diced with seeds, 1/4 cup of sweet onion finely diced, a tbsp of cilantro finely chopped, and the juice of a half of a lime. Insert your knife into the avocado until you hit the seed. Continue cutting around the fruit from one end to the next and twist open. To remove the seed, insert your knife into the seed and twist. Scoop the green goodness into a bowl and add the other ingredients. It's important to get that lime onto the avocado quickly to preserve its bright color. Add a good pinch of salt and--my personal secret--a tbsp of sugar. Mix well and pop in the fridge. I like to make guac a couple of hours before I will serve it. I try not to make more than what will be eaten the same day as it doesn't store well. Once its has set, taste for salt and adjust as needed. If your chips will be salted, consider that when adding salt.