Happy Cinco de Mayo! Does anyone actually know why we celebrate this day? Because I didn’t until I Googled it just now. In Mexico, it’s a celebration of the Mexican army defeating France in the Battle of Puebla during the French-Mexican war. To Americans, it’s a wonderful day that requires the consumption of Mexican food and salty drinks. No matter your reason for celebrating, there’s no better way to commemorate this day than with a big bowl of guacamole.
This guac is a favorite in the Larson home, and until I went to write this recipe, we had never measured our ingredients. Around here, guacamole crafting is an art that involves adding a pinch of this and a few dashes of that and adjusting over and over again until it tastes just right. I think I’ve managed to put concrete terms to the quantities we use to create flavors we love. This guac is just how we like it: limey, salty, with a subtle spicy kick.
Let’s take a minute to highlight some avocado nutrition. One cup of cubed avocado meat contains 40% of your daily fiber, 35% of your daily vitamin K, 30% of your daily folate, 23% of your daily B6, and 20% of your daily potassium needs.
Many people are skeptical of avocados because they are very high in fat. In fact, they’re about 80% fat. In reality, however, avocados can be a very healthy part of any diet. The primary fatty acid in avocados is oleic acid, a monounsaturated, “healthy” fatty acid that may help improve heart health. If you’re someone who feels shame for enjoying higher-fat foods, keep in mind that our taste buds are designed to enjoy fats and this aspect of taste was historically very useful for keeping humans alive and well when food was scarce.
4 avocados
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (1-2 limes)
1/3 cup salsa
2 large garlic cloves, minced
5 jalapeno slices, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Halve the avocados and remove the pits. Use a spoon to remove the avocado flesh from the skin and place in a medium bowl. Add the lime juice, salsa, garlic, jalapeno, salt, cumin, and cayenne. Use a fork or a nifty tool like this one to mash the avocado into small pieces and combine all the ingredients together. You can make it as smooth or chunky as you like. Taste and adjust spices and salt as desired.