Guacamole

Guacamole dates back to the Aztec Empire, and to this day it continues to make the world a better place. It’s a part of Mexican cuisine and has become part of American cuisine as well. Delicious served with Mexican dishes, or simply eaten on tortilla chips in mass quantities, it’s healthy and super easy to make. You can use this recipe as is, or use it as a base and choose your own add-ins. For example some like to add tomatoes, peppers, or sour cream to their guac, but I prefer it plain or with a little cilantro.

Ingredients
Makes about 4 cups.

• 4 large ripe avocados (or 6 small ones)
• 1 lime
• 1/2 of a medium red onion
• 1-2 cloves of garlic (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Dice the onion into small pieces, and crush or mince the garlic, if you’re using it. Juice the lime into a small dish and remove any seeds. Cut the avocados lengthwise and remove the pit.
Note: if you’re not sure how to do this safely and easily, check out this post.

Scoop the flesh from the avocados with a spoon and mash them in a bowl using a fork until there are only small chunks left. Add the lime juice, the onion, and any optional ingredients and mix well.

Make sure you don’t let the avocados sit too long without adding the lime juice because the acid in the lime helps slow the oxidation of the avocados (oxidation is what makes them turn brown). Add a little salt and pepper, to taste. Keep in mind that if you’re serving it with salty chips you don’t need much salt in the guacamole itself.

To store, keep in an airtight container in the fridge. Press a piece of plastic wrap down onto the surface of the guac before closing the container. It will stay nice this way for a few days, but if the top layer goes brown you can just mix it in or scrape it off and eat the green part underneath.