This
is a healthy appetizer, and goes along great with any Mexican dish such as
tacos or enchiladas. Avocados are rich in vitamins and minerals.
My kids love this. I prefer the yellow corn tortillas in a big bag to
go with this dip.
Recipe for Guacamole Dip:
-
4 to 5 avocados, chopped finely (I like the Haas brand)
-
1/3 medium size onion, chopped finely (I prefer yellow onions, but some people like red onions)
-
2 TBSP fresh diced cilantro
-
1/2 can Ortega green fire roasted chilies
-
1 tsp crushed garlic (2-3 garlic cloves. I use a garlic hand press)
-
1 tsp kosher salt
-
1 TBSP lime juice (or lemon juice)
-
1/2 to 1 can (14.5 ounce) drained fire roasted tomatoes (or 1 large diced up tomato)
-
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
Put all the
ingredients into a big bowl and then mix together with a spoon or by hand.
My kids like extra tomatoes, so I use the whole can of fire roasted
tomatoes. You may also want to use the entire can of Ortega
chilies, but I prefer about half. The dip is great at room temp, but
even better if chilled for an hour or two in the refrigerator.
Avocado Nutrition
Avocados are a surprisingly complete food, with fourteen minerals to stimulate growth, including iron and copper for your blood. The sodium and potassium in avocados keeps your body chemically balanced, and their low sugar content and absence of starch make them an ideal fruit for diabetics or hypoglycemics (choose small slices throughout the day to keep your sugar balanced). Vitamins in avocados include A, several B-complex, C, and E, as well as phosphorus and magnesium. They’re also a great source of antioxidants like vitamins E and C.
Because of their density,
avocados, like bananas, are filling. But they are also a perfectly
digestible slow-burning fuel, making them ideal for replenishing nutrients
for athletes. They’re a great source of fruit oil and digestible fats, and
they make excellent and healthy dips for raw vegetables. When blended with
fruit, they make particularly nutritious baby food.
Avocados are also called alligator pears because of their shape and the
color of their skin. The four hundred varieties of avocado are found
throughout Mexico and South America. After planting an avocado tree, you’ll
have to wait two to three years for it to bear fruit, but it’s worth the
wait.
Picking and Preparing Avocadoes
A perfect avocado is hard to
choose in the store; because they go so quickly through ripeness into over
ripeness, you’re better off picking slightly unripe ones and letting them
ripen on the counter with your bananas. Ideal avocados to purchase are dark
green and hard, and they brown slightly and become slightly soft to thumb
pressure as they ripen. Remove the flesh by cutting the fruit in half
lengthwise. If you twist it open from here, the large pit easily comes out
of one side, and all you have to do is twist it out of the other side with a
knife.
Replace butter with avocado spread, or use avocado dip and raw vegetables to
replace your chips and ranch dressing.
