Guacamole

I didn't grow up in a guacamole household. Dad is sort of {aka completely} a meat and potatoes, standard American fare kind of guy. He doesn't like Chinese food. Or Italian. Or Mexican. Or anything but meat and potatoes and gravy and pie. So that's what Mom cooked! Sometimes she and I would have a frozen pizza {cooked first, of course} or some tacos, but she never ventured forth as far as homemade guacamole.

I didn't even know I liked it until I was almost grown. First you have to get past its appearance, which, granted, is not really a selling point. But if you can do THAT...ohhhhhhhh the joy.

And now that we're to the season of research that declares avocado fat good for you, I figure this is practically a health food. The thing I love about guacamole is that it whips up pretty quickly and makes a great appetizer or meal, as far as I'm concerned.

Here's the recipe we use, and Ryan has declared it a keeper:

* 2 ripe avocados
* 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 medium size chopped Roma tomato
* 1/2 cup chopped green onions
* 2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro
* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt

Slice avocados and scoop out the insides; discard the pit in the middle. Combine avocados and all other ingredients in a bowl and mash with a fork until well combined and lumpy. Serve immediately or refrigerate for a short time. Serve with chips or as a topping on tacos or nachos.

A Few Tips:

* If you've never purchased avocados before, that can be the most intimidating part. The avocados in the picture above are NOT RIPE ENOUGH yet. The skin of the avocado should be dark, and they should be squishy when you squeeze them. If they are ripe enough, the insides will slide right out with a spoon.

* You can try to speed along the ripening of an avocado by placing it in a brown paper bag. We learned that it might not be enough if you only have a day...so another way to find a ripe avocado is to TRY ANOTHER GROCERY STORE. I mean...not that we had to do that or anything.

* You can use white, yellow, or red onions in this recipe, but the green truly do taste the best.

* I prefer fresh cilantro in this recipe. And more is more for me when it comes to cilantro. :)

* We like to use Roma tomatoes, because they're not as juicy, so they are better when you cut and mix them up.

* This doesn't keep well for more than a day. The avocado turns brown quickly.