GUACAMOLE

Good guacamole doesn’t need to be complex. All you really need are a few good quality, fresh ingredients; avocados, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, and salt. Easy and delicious! It’s also a food you can feel good about eating! Avocados are very healthy, not to mention all the other fresh vegetables that are added to this guacamole.

Always start with chopping the vegetables first, including the cilantro. You want to cut up the avocados last, so they have less time exposed to the air, which turns them brown (more on that later). I like my guacamole chunky, so I like to chop my vegetables instead of dicing them. This is a personal preference, and there is no hard rule on how you should cut up your vegetables…dice or chop…that part is up to you.

Always cut open your avocadoes last! You want them exposed to oxygen as little as possible to prevent the unpleasant browning for as long as possible. Skin the avocados and remove the pit. Immediately place them in a medium mixing bowl and added the lime juice, and proceed with either chopping the avocados or mashing them to the desired consistency. The citric acid in the lime juice is a strong antioxidant that will dramatically slow the browning process.

Once the avocado is mashed or chopped, mix in the chopped vegetables, cilantro, and garlic salt. Guacamole is best served fresh. So pull out your favorite chips and dig in!!!

If you have ever eaten an avocado, you know the dreaded browning that is inevitable. Avocados contain an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, which causes the flesh to brown when exposed to air—or, more specifically, when it’s exposed to oxygen. You can’t prevent this process from happening, but there are tricks to slowing the process down.

The citric acid in lime juice is a strong antioxidant that will dramatically slow the browning process. Adding a sufficient amount of lime juice over your avocado or guacamole will keep the avocado from browning for at least a day.

The best method I have found for keeping leftover guacamole fresh and green is to use water. Now I’ll be honest; I wasn’t excited about the idea of putting water on top of my guacamole. But once I gave this method a try, I was IMPRESSED! Not only was my guacamole green and fresh-looking the next day, but it also tasted great! And amazingly, it was still fresh on day three…Impressive, right!! To store leftover guacamole using this method, first put the guacamole into an airtight container. Use a spoon to flatten the surface of the guacamole and remove any air pockets. Very gently pour on about a half-inch of water covering the guacamole surface completely. Refrigerate, covered tightly, for up to two additional days. When you are ready to eat it, pour off the water and give the guacamole a gentle stir, and it will be good as new!

Another method for storing leftover guacamole, if you don’t want to use water, is to use plastic wrap. Place the plastic wrap directly on top of the guacamole, not over the bowl or container. Press the plastic wrap down around the guacamole to prevent as little air as possible from coming in contact with the guacamole. Your guacamole should be good for another day. If some browning does happen, you can scrape away the discolored outside layer of the guacamole, and you will discover fresh, bright green guacamole underneath.

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