The Easy but Great Guacamole Recipe

Guacamole is a very healthy treat, and here is a recipe for an easy but great guacamole recipe. There is no need to go to the store and buy guacamole at the deli counter when you can use fresh ingredients and make it yourself. If you have a garden many of the ingredients may be right in your own backyard.

The avocado is known for being a heart healthy fruit, and adding more avocado to your diet is a great way to get the healthy monounsaturated fat that you may be missing, so enjoy this easy guacamole dip without guilt. Whether you are trying to cut weight or just add a delicious appetizer to your day, guacamole is good for you.

To make this easy guacamole you will just need some basic ingredients and about 10 minutes. Here is a list of the ingredients that you will need.

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1 medium tomato
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1-2 jalapeno peppers
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro (or 1 tsp dried)
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1/4 tsp salt

In addition to that, you should get something to dip into the guacamole. Popular choices are multigrain tortilla chips, whole wheat crackers, or fresh veggies. You can also use it as a side or topping for your favorite Mexican or Southwestern meal.

The first step is to prepare the avocados. This part if very easy if your avocado is of the proper ripeness. When you pick an avocado, select one that is just a bit soft to the touch without being squishy. You don't want one that is too hard or too soft. You should be able to press into it just a bit. Don't worry about the color too much. An avocado could be somewhat green or rather dark when it is at the proper ripeness.

To cut the avocado, just cut it into two parts by cutting around the pit. Then, insert the knife into the cut and angle the knife to pry the two halves apart. To get the pit out easily, you can use the blade of your knife by swinging the knife down on the pit (careful!) to embed it and then lift it out.

Next, take a spoon and spoon out the inside of the avocado. Throw away the skin, and mash the avocado with a fork until it is mostly broken down. If you find the avocado a little too hard for the fork you can use a food processor, but don't overdo it. Don't be afraid to leave some small chunks of avocado left intact. This adds a nice texture to the finished guacamole.

The next part if to get your tomato ready. Here you want the meat of the tomato. You don't need all of the extra juice and seeds that are in tomatoes. Because of this, big beefy tomatoes work great.

To prepare the tomato, simply cut it in half, but before you continue to dice it up remove the seeds.The easiest way to do this is when the tomato is still in half. Just take your finger and scoop out the water and seeds in the seed cavities. You will be left with only the meat.

Now, simply dice your tomato into small pieces. You want these to be reasonably small but not so small that they don't add any texture to your guacamole. When you are satisfied, add the tomato to your bowl.

Now, while this part may make you cry it is not difficult. Take your onion and dice it into small pieces. These should be about the same size as your diced tomato pieces.

Onion is one of those ingredients that you can adjust in guacamole. If you like onion a lot you can add more. You will find that 1/2 onion adds to the taste of this guacamole without going too far, so don't fret if you are not a huge onion fan.

Once you have diced the onion, add it to your bowl.

Now for a little kick. Dice the jalapeno into small pieces. You really do want these to be quite small so that you can get the flavor without a single bit bite.

One single jalapeno will not make this guacamole very hot at all so don't be afraid to add this ingredient. Two jalapenos will give it just a little more punch.

We used red jalapenos in our guacamole but you will normally find them green in the store, which is the most common type.

Add the diced jalapeno to your bowl.

The garlic may be the most intimidating part, but it is really quick and easy. You can get garlic all cut up on a little jar, but preparing it from a fresh clove is not difficult. In fact, while we're at it, let's talk about how to easily remove the outer layer from a clove of garlic.

To start, put a clove of garlic on a cutting board. Then, using a nice flat knife like a santoku knife, put the knife sideways on top of the garlic and give it a good hit with the palm of your hand. This will break up the clove slightly.

Now that the clove is broken up a bit, peel the outer crunchy layer off of the clove. If you used the correct amount of force when hitting your knife you will find this easy. You may also find that one end of the clove is a bit woody where it attached to the garlic plant. You can cut a small slice from this end now to remove it.

To dice the garlic, just use your knife and chop, chop, chop, until you are left with small pieces of garlic. You really can't go too small here, so just keep going until you have no big pieces left.

You are almost done! Now it is time for the spices.

If you have access to fresh cilantro, or better yet if you have some in your garden, chop it up and put in a heaping tablespoon or so. If you don't have fresh cilantro you can substitute about 2 teaspoon instead. Either will do just fine.

Add the salt at this point too. You can use a salt substitute if you like, but a little saltiness makes the guacamole taste better. Just remember one thing about salt. You can always add more but it is impossible to remove it.

Finally, add your lime juice. If you have a fresh lime the juice from 1 lime will do just about right. If you use bottled lime juice, go with one tablespoon and add it to your bowl.

All you have to do now is take a fork or spoon and mix all of the ingredients together. Once you have them all mixed up it is time to sample your creation.

Dip a vegetable or a tortilla chip, spread it on toast or a cracker, or use it as a side at dinner. However you enjoy it, this easy but great guacamole recipe is sure to please.