Through my years of cooking I’ve developed a relationship with all types of ingredients. Although you try not to favor your kids, avocados have grown to be teacher pet in my kitchen. They are healthy, versatile and delicious.
The health benefits alone are something to talk about. Just 1 cup of sliced avocado has 10 grams of fiber. That is 40% of an adult’s recommended daily fiber need. The same serving size also boasts nearly a quarter of your daily vitamin C needs and a substantial amount of the recommended Vitamin B-6 intake.
The shape is handy too. Avocados are conducive to be cut in half and used as a makeshift bowl by filling with your favorite ingredients. My morning routine often starts with a cup of coffee and 1/2 and avocado filled with cottage cheese or fruit. Sometimes for lunch I have one filled with chicken salad. The options go on and on.
The other weekend a dear friend showed me yet another use for the fruit – a mayo substitute. She showed up with the most delicious deviled eggs made with avocado instead of mayo. She went on to explain how you can bake with it as well – replace 1/2 the butter in a recipe for mashed up avocado. My mind was blown. She is a genius! I began to think, what else could I replace with avocado?
My first attempt was chicken salad. I simply replaced the mayo with mashed avocado – yum. Then I tried making my homemade banana bread with avocado as a replacement for 1/2 the oil – delicious. My friend was really onto something. I then thought about replacing mayo on a sandwich with guacamole. I started with a batch of my favorite guacamole.
Guacamole Recipe
- A bowl
- Avocado
- Tomato
- Onion
- Garlic
- Jalapeno
- Salt
- Pepper
- Lime (I totally forgot lime in my ingredient bowl!)
- A sharp knife
- A wooden spoon or spatula – whichever you prefer
I am a large proponent of using what you have on hand and doing things to taste, so you won’t get a lot of exact measurements of me, unless the recipe truly calls for precision. I’m a spice and garlic lover, so I probably use more garlic and jalapeno than most. For this recipe I used both avocados, all three tomatoes, 1/3 of the onion, 3 cloves or garlic, 1/2 the jalapeno, 1/2 a lime, a couple large shakes of the salt and a dash of pepper. Do whatever tastes good to you!
- Give the avocados a couple rolls on the cutting board to soften them.
- Scoop out the pit and put ripe avocado in mixing bowl
- Chop garlic
Here is a quick tutorial if you don’t chop a lot of garlic.
Separate a couple garlic cloves
Hold the blade of a large knife over the garlic and give it a hearty whack!
Then simple remove the garlic peels and finely chop.
4. Finely chop some onion
5. Cut the tomatoes in 1/2 and remove the seeds and juice. Then dice the tomatoes.
6. Chop up as much jalapeno as you like. If you simply are not a spice fan, you can omit completely. The true heat of a jalapeno is housed in the seeds. So the more seeds you use, the spicier.
7. Place all ingredients in your mixing bowl and mash together until evenly combined.
8. Once my guacamole has a nice consistency, I then salt and pepper to taste.
9. Finish it off with a squeeze of lime juice and a final stir. After I stir, I put the lime on top of the guacamole to marinate, cover and refrigerate. I know we live in a world on wanting everything instantaneously, but trust me when I say, it will taste better if you let all the ingredients mesh together in the fridge for a couple hours.
I used this batch of guacamole for several things. First, I used it as a mayo replacement on a sandwich for my husband’s lunch, I used it on my sandwich to change up my typical hummus routine and we served it as a side during build your own taco night. Build your own taco night is always a favorite in my house. I think the kids like the control over choose what ingredients they put in their tacos.
I’m excited to explore more substitutions. Do you have any recommendations?
the pARTy planning 
This looks delicious! My work has an annual “guac off” and I am always trying new recipes looking for the winner!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
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Thanks for visiting. I hope you win the “guac off!”
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Hey there! I wanted to give a shout out as a fellow Wisconsinite (near Madison). Just made guacamole this evening, and would love to test out your recipe. Thanks!
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On Wisconsin! Madison – home of my favorite farmers market!
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I love avocados! Can’t wait to try some of these ideas. Sharing via Twitter and with the Home Garden Joy Facebook group. Thanks!
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Thank you Jeanne! I appreciate the share!
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Thanks for visiting! I hope you find some of these useful!
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This looks so delicious! My avocados are usually in the form of salad, burritos, or in guacamole spread on toast in the morning with a fried egg on top. Sooo delicious.
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Avocados are one of the best fruits with nutrients for good health. I like your idea for the avocado in salad and sandwich.
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Thanks for visiting!
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Whoa! I didn’t know you could could with avocado at all. I just assumed it would turn all brown and gross. I love avocados, especially on tacos or toast, or in dip! Thanks for sharing this at my party!
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Thanks so much for visiting & HOSTING!
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We love avocado in the Casey household too! It is like a better type of butter. The good thing about avocados is that they are loaded with HDLs, which is the good cholesterol. It helps to cut the bad stuff. Yeah!
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They are so good on all levels. Thanks for visiting!
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I like the kick of spicy pepper in your guac recipe- I’ll have to change mine up sometime and give it a try. Thanks for linking up on Tuesday!
Kim
http://peeledwellness.com
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Thanks for visiting & for the link up on Tuesday!
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I adore avocados! I make a really basic guac with lemon juice, salt and a little bit of salsa. I eat it on toast for breakfast!
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My fav thing to make with avos has to be guacamole ❤
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Thanks so much for visiting!
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I LOVE avocados! I had one for dinner last night — with salt and lemon pepper…delicious!
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I must try that! Thanks for visiting!
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I could eat avocados every single day. I want to try that banana bread trick! Thanks for sharing at Talented Tuesday! 🙂
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Healthy food! Thank you for linking your recipe to Creative K Kid’s Tasty Tuesdays’ party. I have pinned your post to the Tasty Tuesdays Pinterest board
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Thank you for the pin and visiting! I’m looking forward to next Tasty Tuesday!
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Great ideas. looking forward to trying some of them.
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Thank you so much for visiting!
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Great recipe. I am going to try this.
Susie
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I’m actually making a batch for taco night tonight! You’ll soon find that I have weekly taco night at my house. It’s one of the few recipes the whole family enjoys!
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