Guacamole

I'm a Mexican food fanatic. Actually, the word "fanatic" is even an understatement. I would be happy eating Mexican food for dinner 6 days a week. Why only 6, you ask? Because I have a soft spot for Italian food, too, so I need to save one day a week for that.

One of my favorite things to make is guacamole. I've tried so many brands of pre-made guac, and I have never been impressed. Not only unimpressed but YUCK comes to mind as well. Stay far away from the pre-made ones over by the dairy section. If you must buy pre-made, Sam's Club has a pretty decent guac. But I highly recommend making your own -- there's just no substitute for the wonderful flavor.

Random side note: I had an avocado left over the other day and whipped up a half-batch of guac. Because I'd only had guac 2 days that week, which is definitely not enough times. Anyway, my 2 year old came up to me in the kitchen and begged for a taste. I gave it to her, watching closely for the upchuck reflex I was sure to follow, but this girl loved it! She and I inhaled the entire batch in less than 5 minutes. It was hysterical. Who knew?

Another random side note: while we're talking about Sam's Club, they have a bag of 6 avocados for under $6, which is a way better deal than anywhere else I've ever seen. So I suggest you buy that. What to do with the extra avocados, you ask? If you buy that big bag, you'll have the perfect excuse to invite some friends over and make Cayenne Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa!

The last time I made this recipe (pictured), I didn't use the optional ingredients because I was making it as part of a dip (recipe coming Friday!) that has those ingredients in it already. But if I'm just making guac by itself, I always add them in.

Not used to working with avocados? We've got ya covered!

Ingredients:
2 ripe avocados
1 large clove garlic (or 2 smaller cloves)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lime juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Optional (but very yummy):
1 Roma tomato
1/4 small red onion, cut into large pieces
cilantro

Place garlic clove(s) into a food processor and pulse until very fine. If you're using the optional onion and cilantro, add it to food processor now, pulsing until evenly chopped. Add avocado to food processor and pulse until smooth. If you're using the optional tomato, add it to the food processor now. Then add mayonnaise, lime juice and salt and pepper. Give it a quick little pulse to combine everything well. Garnish with leftover cilantro or even parsley, if you have that on hand.