Kids in the Kitchen – Making Great Guacamole

Recipe: Kids in the Kitchen - Making Great Guacamole

There’s nothing like great-tasting guacamole.  Since we recently came back from a trip to Mexico where my girls ate the delicious dip just about every day, I decided it was time to create our own version at home.

Guacamole is so simple to make.  Just a few key ingredients: mashed avocados, diced tomatoes, lime juice, crushed garlic, and a pinch of salt all mixed together (we kept ours pretty mild).

The tricky part is selecting and storing the avocados, which are an excellent source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. (They are completely free of cholesterol and sodium too).

I recently learned some helpful tips when cooking with this tasty green fruit, thanks to Avocados from Mexico.

Selecting an Avocado

An avocado’s firmness is the most reliable indicator of its ripeness:

• An unripe avocado is hard and firm, while a ripe avocado will yield to gentle pressure
• A green, unripe avocado typically takes 4-5 days to ripen at room temperature and should be selected for meals planned later in the week
• An avocado that yields to gentle pressure is ready to eat and can still be enjoyed within 1-2 days

Ripening Tips

To speed up ripening, place the avocado inside a paper bag with a banana or apple. Keep the bag closed for 1-4 days and check daily for ripeness.

To slow down ripening, store the avocado in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.  Check daily to avoid over-ripening of the fruit.

Preserving an Avocado

Once an avocado is sliced open, the flesh is exposed to air, which can cause the avocado to turn brown. To delay this oxidation process, you can squeeze lemon or lime juice (an acid) onto the flesh of the avocado. Or you can cover the surface tightly with clear plastic wrap (be sure to press the wrap directly onto the flesh to limit the amount of surface area exposed to the air). You can leave the pit in too, as it helps to limit the surface area of the avocado that is exposed to air.

As I mentioned earlier, my girls don’t go for “spicy” foods, so we kept our guacamole pretty plain. But if you don’t mind the heat, add a minced jalapeno or serrano chile. Other fun ingredients include chopped cilantro leaves, diced pineapple, jicama, mango, or cucumber, or pomegranate seeds.

Time to go and make some guac!