With the warming temperatures of the Summer months looming ahead of us, our minds and tastes start to turn to foods and recipes we can enjoy that are delicious and yet do not require a lot of time to prepare. We also enjoy preparing things which do not create a lot of heat in our kitchens. We love eating outside in these warmer temperatures, so Al Fresco style recipes become even more attractive to us. Tasty recipes such as this easy Avocado Guacamole Recipe or this chicken margherita are perfect for these days and appeal to us on many levels!
Not only is this dish delicious and amazingly easy to make, but it requires truly little time or effort. It is also perfect for those moments when we are able to entertain guests. It makes for a really great pre-meal nibble. I always have frozen avocado halves in my freezer ready to pull out for this tasty dip! It is a real people pleaser in every respect!
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS AVOCADO GUACAMOLE RECIPE
All that is required for this simple recipe are a very few ingredient. If you keep your freezer and store-cupboard well stocked, you can easily have everything at the ready to put this together at the drop of a hat!
| INGREDIENTS |
| 3 ripe avocados (fresh or frozen) |
| The juice of one fresh lime (2 TBS) |
| 1/2 tsp fine sea salt |
| ¼ tsp black pepper |
| ¼ tsp red pepper flakes |
| ¼ tsp garlic powder |
| ½ medium red onion, finely diced |
HINTS & TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST GUACAMOLE
If you follow my sure-fire hints and tips you will soon be making the best Avocado Guacamole recipe ever!
- Read through the recipe several times before beginning. This will help to familiarise you with any ingredients or special equipment needed, or steps you need to take.
- Assemble all of the ingredients for the recipe prior to starting to prepare it. This way you can make sure you have everything you need to have to make it, enabling you to make a quick trip to the shops should you need to pick something up. It also helps to prevent you from leaving any ingredient which is integral to the recipe out.
- You can use either fresh avocado or frozen avocado. I am able to buy really quality frozen avocado halves, so I keep a bag of these in the freezer at all times. They are beautiful, always perfectly ripe and do not take a lot of time to thaw.
- Use a fork to mash your avocado and try to keep it somewhat coarse. You do not want it to be totally smooth or pasty. A bit of texture is not only pleasing to the palate, but also visually.
- Try to chop your onion up fairly finely. You want to be able to see it, but you want the dice to be fairly small. About ¼ inch dice is perfect.
- I like to use cherry tomatoes and quarter them. These are the ideal size.
- I always use fresh cilantro (coriander). Remove the leaves from the stems, discarding the stems. You want only the leaf. Because it is a soft herb, it bruises very easily. I chop it using a sharp chef’s knife and using a rocking motion, quickly across it.
- Mince your garlic finely or put it through a garlic crusher. Nobody wants to bite down on a huge chunk of raw garlic.
- Use fresh lime juice, not bottled. Fresh lime juice has a cleaner taste and is not made from concentrate. You can use lemon as well. Look at the difference between limes and lemons here.
- Cover and refrigerate the guacamole for at least an hour in order to help the flavours develop properly prior to serving. You can of course eat it right away, but there is a remarkable difference in the depth of flavour simply by letting it ripen for that hour.
HOW TO MAKE THIS AVOCADO GUACAMOLE RECIPE
Peel your onion and chop it into a ¼ inch dice using a sharp knife. I do this by cutting the onion in half horizontally. Place the halves cut side down onto the cutting board. Make ¼ inch wide cuts down the length of the onion halves and then cut crosswise a ¼ inch intervals. Set aside.
Peel your garlic. This is easily done by placing the cloves onto your cutting board one at a time. Lay the side of your knife over the clove of garlic and press down onto the garlic firmly until you hear a cracking noise.
If you lift your knife you will see that the skin is loosened perfectly, ready to remove and discard. Do this to all the cloves of garlic and then mince them finely using a sharp chef’s knife and using a rocking motion over the garlic. To do this hold the tip of your knife down with one hand and then use the other hand to move the knife up and down whilst also moving it back and forth over the garlic. Easy peasy.
Wash your tomatoes, pat them dry and then cut them into quarters. Set aside.
Wash your cilantro (coriander). Pat dry with paper towels and then strip the leaves from the stalks, discarding the stalks. Chop in the same manner as you have chopped the garlic. You do not want them finely minced. A bit of texture is good.
If you are using fresh avocados, cut in half, peel, and pit them. If you are using frozen avocados, make sure they are thawed. Put the avocado halves into a bowl and mash coarsely with a fork.
Add all of your spices and seasonings along with the chopped vegetables/herbs to the bowl of mashed avocado.
Squeeze the lime juice over top. I have one of these juicers and I have to tell you it does an excellent job of juicing citrus of all kinds. I wouldn’t be without it.
Gently fold all of the ingredients together. Make sure you have everything evenly mixed but try to keep the texture in place without mashing the avocado too much, or squashing the tomatoes. Cover the bowl with some plastic cling film and then chill the Avocado Guacamole in the refrigerator for an hour in order for the flavours to really meld together.
When you are ready to serve, pile the chilled Guacamole into a decorative bowl and pass the chips!
SERVING SUGGESTIONS FOR AVOCADO GUACAMOLE
This easy guacamole recipe is perfect to serve as a fresh dip with crisp tortilla chips or even crisp raw vegetables. It is also excellent layered in burritos, spooned on top of tacos, spread into wraps, spooned over Huevo’s Rancheros, dolloped onto Tortilla Soup or chillies, or along side of any other Tex-Mex dish. It works exceptionally good in breakfast burritos and as a first course/appetiser, a party nibble or as a snack to share with the family while you are watching the big game on the telly.
I think your family and friends are really going to love this version of Guacamole. You can amp up the spice if you like extra heat by adding some cayenne or minced jalapeno pepper. Personally, we think it is perfect just the way it is! Quick, easy, and delicious! You cannot ask for more than that!
Avocado Guacamole Recipe
This is a remarkably simple guacamole recipe which goes together in minutes. You can use fresh avocados or frozen. Both work well.
Ingredients
- 3 ripe avocados
- The juice of one fresh lime (2 TBS)
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ medium red onion, finely diced
- A handful of chopped fresh cilantro (about ¼ cup)
- A small handful cherry tomatoes, quartered (about 5 or 6)
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
Instructions
- Peel and pit the avocados.
- Put them into a bowl and then mash them coarsely using a fork.
- Gently fold in the red onion, cilantro, tomato, minced garlic.
- Stir in the seasonings, spices, and lime juice.
- Cover and refrigerate for one hour for the best flavour.
- Serve with your favourite crisp tortilla chips or use in wraps. This also makes a great accompaniment for Tacos or Burritos, etc.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 160
Marie Rayner is a retired Chef, freelance writer, recipe developer, food blogger, and Cookbook author. She makes her home in Chester, UK, where she lives with her husband, Todd, and their much beloved English Cocker, Mitzie. Her motto is “Life is far too short to eat bad food,” and her goal is to share delicious and easy recipes which anyone can enjoy and cook in the comfort of their own home.
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