Quick and Easy Creamy Guacamole Dip
If you have read any of my other recipe articles, you'll see that we are huge food lovers over here in the Van Ness household.
With cheese being our favorite food item, I've got to say that avocado come in a close second, and depending on how we're feeling on any given night, easily trump even cheese.
Two times a year we visit my husband's grandparents out in California. Although we love seeing family, and getting an amazing vacation, we are always the blessed recipients of grocery bags chock full of fresh avocados fresh off the tree.
By keeping them in the refrigerator, we can keep them from ripening until exactly when we want to use them, essentially keeping us stocked up on avocados all year long.
I've been promising everyone that I was going to start creating some recipes specifically for our avocados, and here's the first one.
Although avocados can be used to fill or top just about any dish to make it amazing, in this recipe, the avocado is the star of the show.
Health Benefits of Avocados
The ability of avocado to help prevent unwanted inflammation is absolutely unquestionable in the world of health research, especially it's well-known ability to help prevent osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Avocado's support for heart and blood vessels might be surprising to some people who think about avocado as too high in fat for heart health. From a research standpoint, however, many metabolic aspects of heart health are improved by avocado.
At the same time, one cup of avocado provides about 7-8 grams of dietary fiber, making it an important dietary source of this blood sugar-regulating nutrient. (WHFoods)
This amazing food is even recommended for women in the first trimester of pregnancy to aide in the development of an infant's central nervous system.
Avocados contain more folate per ounce than any other fruit, and folic acid has been shown to lower the risk of birth defects. (Parenting)
If this amazing fruit is great for pregnant women, imagination what it can do for you!
Let's make some guacamole!!
Cook Time
Ingredients
- 2 large ripe avocados
- 1/2 cup salsa, (try out my Homemade Tomato Mango Salsa)
- 1/2 medium lemon
- pinch salt and pepper
- (optional) handful of cherry tomatoes, chopped
- (optional) 1/4 cup yellow onions, chopped
Instructions
- Start by choosing at least 2 avocados that are just a tad bit soft, but not squishy.
- If you use more avocados, you'll also want to adjust the amount of each other ingredient to taste.
- Cut each in half, and then remove the seed. To do this, I carefully embed a knife into the seed, twist, and throw away.
- This last summer, I discovered that there were two different kinds of avocados; one with hard skin allowing the avocado to be scraped out, and another with soft skin that has to be peeled.
- The typical ones you find in the grocery store hard the harder skin. However, at our grandparent's house in California, they have a tree that bears avocados with soft skin.
- They taste just as good, but I have to peel them.
- After peeling, place each half in a small bowl and mash together with a fork. You will want to try and get rid of any lumps.
- Squeeze most of half a lemon into your bowl to keep the avocado fresh and green while you are eating it.
- Pour your salsa into your bowl with your avocado and lemon.
- Mix everything together thoroughly.
- Finally, add in a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Taste it first to determine how much of each is needed.
- Much to my husband's dismay, I also like to chop cherry tomatoes and half a yellow onion on the side while my husband is mixing the guacamole.
- As he's mixing it up, I just happen to accidentally spill my chopped veggies into the guacamole bowl and mix it all up together.
- The crunchy fresh veggies make the guacamole that much better.
- You see I didn't do that for these pictures. I was tired. lol
Nutritional Information
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Serving size: 1/4 cup of guacamole | |
Calories | 262 |
Calories from Fat | 198 |
% Daily Value * | |
Fat 22 g | 34% |
Carbohydrates 18 g | 6% |
Fiber 11 g | 44% |
Protein 4 g | 8% |
Cholesterol 0 mg | |
Sodium 596 mg | 25% |
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. |
Although guacamole is basically avocados and salsa at it's simplest, there's no rule that says you can't make it your own.
Try my Fresh Homemade Tomato Salsa, or even my Amazing Mango Tomato Salsa for a kick with some fresh fruit and veggies.
Add in some extra chopped onions and tomatoes, or cilantro and jalapeno for another extra.
I try to make it a little bit different every time we serve it just to keep it interesting! Why not do the same in your home?!
Serve your guacamole with my Chicken Quesadillas, Easy Peasy Mexican Pizza, Chicken and Cheese Flautas, Asparagus Quiche, or even with some Homemade Tortilla Chips.
I hope you enjoy your guacamole as much as we did ours!
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© 2014 Victoria Van Ness