I’m kind of in an avocado groove. I mean, I still have 15 avocados sitting on my counter from last Saturday, so how can I not be?!

Remember how my cousin Jamie visited a few weeks ago? When she was here she not only made a list of kitchen equipment she had to buy, but she also walked away with pizza baking tips (separate post to come!) and a tip for making guacamole that got her about as excited as the the scizza did!

We decided to have burritos and tacos one night. Jamie and I went to the store together and she mentioned she needed to grab some tomatoes and onions for the guacamole. I kept saying, “Using salsa is a nice shortcut,” and then she would say, “I love putting fresh tomatoes in guacamole,” and I would mention salsa and she’d mention tomatoes. Basically we were both nicely telling each other we do it differently, thank you very much. 😉

But then we got home and started to actually make the guacamole. I pulled out some chunky salsa and Jamie gave it a try. And she almost immediately saw the light!

So, here’s the deal. You can chop tomatoes and onions for guacamole, but if you have chunky salsa (or even un-chunky salsa, in a pinch), you totally do not need to! The chunky salsa adds in the tomatoes and onions (and a few bell peppers, too!) without any of the chopping. Plus, the salsa adds a bit of extra flavor that is perfect for guacamole. Later that night Jamie brought it up again, telling me how awesome the using salsa in guacamole trick was!

Please note: Don’t get too heavy-handed with the salsa! You want to add a few yummy chunks in there, as well as some flavor, but if you put too much in, it can make the guacamole “mooshier,” if you know what I mean. For a fresher, chunkier guacamole, go lighter on the salsa, but of course, play with it and find your favorite mix of ingredients!

I wrote a post all about guacamole several years ago, including a “cheater’s” recipe for guacamole. Click here for the recipe and even more guac tips!

Today’s Kitchen Tip ROCKS. Brace. Yourselves. After today you will know how to keep leftover guacamole green.

So, it’s a running joke with a lot of our friends that everything they do around me is so they can get on the blog. One of my new friends here in our new town is just such a friend and she’s getting on the blog after a very short friendship. She wins.

Katie (the friend) had Cate over for dinner the other night and when I picked Cate up they were eating leftover guacamole that was as green as the day it was born. Katie said, “I have a great tip for keeping guacamole green.” And I was like, “It doesn’t involve lemon juice or avocado pits, does it?” And Katie was like, “No way.” And I was like, “Good, because OXYGEN is the reason guacamole turns green.” And Katie was like, “Exactly. The trick is water.”

THIS TRICK IS GENIUS. I don’t know how I haven’t heard of this tip before. Okay, so here’s what you do: put your leftover guacamole in a storage dish and then put about half an inch of water on top of the guacamole. That’s right, just carefully pour it right on top of the guac. This completely blocks any contact with oxygen and the guacamole stays completely and totally green. Also put a lid or plastic wrap over the dish to prevent spilling in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat the leftovers, just pour off the water! It’s like magic except that it totally makes sense.

I’ve always stored my guacamole with plastic wrap directly on the guacamole and then a lid on the container, and it sort of helped, but not completely. I still got a light brown layer. Then I used water instead of plastic wrap – green as far as the eye can see.

The guacamole you see pictured in this post is two days old. TWO DAYS. 

And, I know, brown guacamole and avocados aren’t bad and taste (supposedly) just as good. But who likes brown guacamole? Nobody, that’s who.

Please note, the overuse of capitalized words and the word “like” in this post should be a clear indicator as to how excited I am about this tip. 

(If you’re looking for a guacamole recipe, click here.)

I saw Katie today and she said she found the idea originally on The Kitchn, of course, because they’re full of great ideas over there! If you’d like to check out their post, click here. It will also prove we’re not crazy. 😉

I am sharing a GEM with you today. My mom got this recipe for Hummus Guacamole Dip from her good friend Jenny, of Jenny’s Green Salad fame. When my mom first described it to me, I must admit I was skeptical. Hummus WITH avocados? Hmmmm….but then I had it for the first time on the Cape this summer. Oh…my…goodness. It is delicioso. The flavors blend together so nicely. And the best part? It’s super duper healthy while also tasting like a very decadent dip.

I can have this stuff for lunch with some corn chips and be all set. Well, maybe not all set…since it tends to appear for afternoon snack time, and then again at dinner! I also served this at a pool party recently and EVERYONE was asking about the dip…when it was time to go home, the giant bowl was empty. See, I know what I’m talking about.

Hummus Guacamole Dip

 

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A healthy decadent dip!

Author: Jane Maynard

Recipe type: Appetizer

Ingredients

• Two 12oz pkgs of Guacamole (Jane’s Mom’s Note: of course I NEVER use packaged Guac (she smashes up a bunch of avocados))
• 1 Pint of Hummus w/roasted garlic (or any flavor you want)
• 1 15.5oz can black beans (slightly drained)
• Chunky mild/medium salsa (about a cup)

Instructions

1. Mix by hand and chill. Serve with whatever corn chips you like!

Notes

Several notes from Jane: Above is the original, official recipe. I’ve actually never used it because I just got it from my mom. I HAVE eaten it and it WAS fabulous. I’ve made the dip blind twice and generally just threw the ingredients together with proportions that looked about right. I believe I did the following, or something close to this. This also makes a lot less if you don’t need dip for an entire army.

3 avocados, smashed up
8 oz hummus
1 can black beans (drained)
8 oz chunky or fresh salsa
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix by hand and chill. Serve with corn chips!

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Time to make some guacamole, the perfect 4th of July dip! Okay, maybe more appropriate for Cinco de Mayo, but whatever. I have a few tips I’d like to share that will cut down on prep time and pump up the flavor.

Guacamole

 

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Author: Jane Maynard

Ingredients

• Avocado (let's base this recipe on 4 avocados)
• Chunky Salsa (to taste, not too much, ~1/4 cup)
• Dollop of sour cream (very optional, I hardly ever add it but once in a while I throw in a spoonful)
• Garlic powder, to taste (yes powder, put that garlic press away! but if you DO have fresh garlic, use the garlic press to keep it simple and go with 1 clove)
• Dried minced onion or onion powder, to taste (yes, dried, put your knife away!)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Cayenne Pepper, Hot Sauce or Red Pepper flakes (if you want it spicier)
• Lime juice (I just use my little squeezie lime juice from the fridge - a few squirts should do it - if you have a fresh lime, go for it)
• Fresh cilantro (if you have it), chopped

Instructions

1. Mix all together!

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• Click here for a great way to cut open avocados and remove the pits safely and quickly. 
• Use a pastry blender to mix it up. It’s perfect for mashing up the avocado, but keeps you from overmixing. You don’t want to overmix – chunkier is better. Pasty, not so good.
• Salsa is my “secret” ingredient – you get hunks of tomato, onion and pepper, but you don’t have to do any chopping. And it adds nice flavor.
• About the cilantro – I almost never have fresh cilantro on hand. The guac is delicious without it, I promise. But if you DO have it, it adds a nice fresh flavor.
• Make sure you salt the guac enough. This is important. Add a little bit at a time so you don’t oversalt.
• You can tell when an avocado is ready because it’s soft to the touch (not too soft!), often darker in color, and when you pop the little stem thingy off the end, it will be green in the hole.

MYTHS DEBUNKED:

• Lemon and lime juice do NOT keep your guacamole from going brown. I use lime juice just because it tastes good.
• Putting the pit in the guacamole will NOT keep it from going brown. The reason avocados go brown is from contact with oxygen. The best way to keep it green is to put plastic wrap directly on the guac when you store it. It’s still going to go a little brown on you. There’s just no getting around that. The brown is a-okay to eat, but you can always skim it off the top if you don’t like how it looks.

I’m telling you, my guacamole is GOOD. It’s EASY. You can make it with whatever you have in the cupboard and fridge. I always have lime juice & salsa in the fridge and spices in the cupboard. All I need is the avocados and I’m set!