Easy Guacamole Recipes

I don't remember the first time I made or ate guacamole-it seems as if I was born with a taste for avocado.

Maybe it's cause I grew up in Texas and have lived in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico much of my life. We down a lot of avocado in these parts!

I do recall eating avocado tacos for breakfast the morning after a college party. We used the leftover guacamole from the night before and within a few hours were suffering from food poisoning. The guacamole must have sat out too long before we put it in the fridge. I also remember it being a very hot summer night as well--neither condition is good for an exposed avocado.

You would think that an experience like that would make me swear off the guac but it never did. It did, however, allow me to give some good advice about the handling of an avocado.

And here is that advice...if you are going to cut it then eat it right away or at least store it, covered, in a cold refrigerator until you serve it.

If for some reason you are not going to use the whole avocado right away, use one of those nifty air-tight containers made just for avocado's (I will find some links for them and put them in this article) and then use the avocado in the next day or two.

And trust me on this, leftover guacamole or avocado dishes are never, EVER a good idea.

Just the basic ingredients to build guacamole.

Ingredients:

1 medium avocado

Salt to taste (start with a pinch)

1 teaspoon of lemon juice (the real stuff)

(optional) finely minced garlic to taste or dash of garlic powder

Tortilla chips Find out how to make your own chips fast and easy

Here's what you do:

Cut the avocado in half and scoop the meat into a mixing bowl using a spoon.

Add the other ingredients to the bowl.

Mash the avocado and the ingredients together using a fork. Mix it all up as you mash.

Scoop up some guacamole with a tortilla chip and have a taste. Add more salt if you need it.

If you don't have fresh lemons around or can't seem to keep them fresh enough to warrant their purchase (mine go to waste so much I've just stopped buying them...I flat out forget they are there), try using the following organic brands.

I keep one or the other in my refrigerator at all times. Give them a good shake before using and they will provide just the flavor you were looking for.

Substitute the lemon for lime juice if you want--it's pretty tasty that way.

If you are shopping for avocado that needs to be used right away, purchase them ripe.

Ripe avocado's are soft when you squeeze them gently. Avocado that are puckered or way to soft when you touch them may be overripe and although they can still be used they may have begun to rot a bit so I avoid them and let the grocer deal with them.

If you can wait for them to ripen, then choose the ones that feel a touch soft but are mostly a bit hard when you squeeze them. Place them in a paper bag and leave them on the counter a few days to ripe, just like bananas or pears. However, don't forget about them, especially in a warm kitchen. They will ripen very quickly.

Now take that basic recipe and spice it up! Make it guacamole.

This is a fast, easy way to spice it up: add a few table spoons of your favorite hot sauce to the recipe. Mash it in with the other ingredients and you have a great guacamole without any fuss.

Add a diced roma tomato without the seeds for some texture.

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados - medium to large

1/2 cup red onion, minced

1 or 2 serrano chiles minced, remove stem and seeds

2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, leaves only

1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

1 roma tomato, remove seeds and pulp and chop

Here's what you do:

Cut the avocado into halves, remove the seed and scoop the meat into a mixing bowl. Mash the avocado a bit to breakup it up.

Add the lemon or lime juice, salt, pepper, cilantro and onion and mash the ingredients together with the avocado.

Add the chopped serrano pepper and mix by turning the ingredients instead of mashing. If you have never eaten serrano pepper before add a third to start and taste to make sure you like the heat. Add more as desired.

Add the tomato right before serving. Otherwise cover the guacamole with plastic wrap and keep the tomatoes in a separate bowl covered until serving time. Put both into the refrigerator.

Serve with a favorite style of tortilla chips. (Doritos and Fritos are NOT tortilla chips.)

WARNINGS:

Do not rub your eyes or face when handling peppers. Wash hands thoroughly when finished cutting and cleaning the peppers.

Air oxidizes and cause the avocado to turn brown. Apply the plastic wrap tightly to the bowl of guacamole to prevent the air from causing discoloration before serving.