My mind is open, my palette is sated. Vegan cooking has changed my perspective on the food I eat, where it comes from, and how the choices I make affect the environment. Check back weekly for my take on life as a zero waste vegan. Sharing recipes, experiments and other DIY ideas.
Once or twice a month, everymonth, since 1989 or so, my family has gone to what has grown to become our favorite Mexican restaurant of all time. Even to this day, when I visit my parents it is at the top of the list of places to go. The servers even know what my dad is going to order before he orders it, right down to his drink of choice, Diet Coke.
In case you were wondering what he orders, it is chicken fajitas with flour tortillas and (this is the most important part) no sour cream or guacamole. He doesn’t believe me when I tell him but I did not try guacamole (or avocado of any kind) until I was 19 years old.
I can tell you exactly where I was too…well, at least the city. I was in Ensenada with my then girlfriend and we stopped at a restaurant for a meal. Neither one of us spoke Spanish, so I wasn’t able to convey to them that I didn’t want avocado mixed with my salsa, which for whatever reason, they did at that place. I decided that since it had already been served to me I would try it. My god, I can’t believe what an amazing super food I had been missing out on!
There was something about that constant reminder of my dad’s preference of not wanting sour cream and guacamole that resonated with me. Avocados are a good source of fiber, potassium and healthy fats, so I am glad I gave them a shot. Today, I find myself adding avocado to almost everything, from toast to [veggie] burgers. My favorite form of it, though, is as guacamole.
While all the ingredients are still in season in Southern California and Mexico, here are instructions for how to make guacamole from scratch at home. For this batch, I purchased everything but the cilantro from my local farmers market. Farmers markets are typically more expensive than grocery stores, but you know what what you are buying is fresh, local and package free.
Guacamole – Zero Waste Guy style
Note: It’s up to you, but I recommend using only organic produce.
Ingredients
2-3 medium avocadoes
2 medium Roma tomatoes, chopped (any red tomato will do)
1/4 cup bell pepper, chopped (any color works, but I like the sweetness of yellow, red and orange peppers)
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 small to medium jalapeño pepper, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced or chopped
Salt, pepper and fresh lime juice
Instructions
Note: All ingredients had be added or subtracted to cater to your personal tastes. I used to puree the onions, tomato and peppers for a creamy taste, but have come to appreciate the individual textures of each ingredient
- Peel avocados and mash in a medium sized bowl
- Chop tomato, peppers, onion and garlic, then mix with avocados
- Salt, pepper and lime to taste
Enjoy!
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