Whether you want a simple dip to go along with some chips or a gourmet topping for your favorite meal, as long as you don’t hate avocados, guacamole may be just what you’re looking for. You can use your own set of seasonings and spices to customize the taste according to your preferences and according to the complementary food you plan to serve. Once you actually start thinking about all of the many possibilities, you may never underestimate the versatile, fruit-based dish again. Here are some suggestions for how to make your own home-made guacamole dip:
Basic guacamole dip
The lazy man’s guacamole dip may simply consist of mashed up avocados and some salt, but it only takes a few more ingredients to pull off a nice, guest-friendly version of the dip.
Cut an avocado into chunks, tossing the seed and peel out, and chop up half an onion. In a mixing bowl, combine the avocado and onion along with around half a tablespoon of lemon or lime juice and half a clove’s worth of minced garlic. Mix the ingredients together while mashing the avocado chunks with a fork or potato masher. Sample the dip and add in a little salt and/or pepper according to your preferences.
Recipe variations to consider
Store-bought guacamoles can come with ingredients you dislike and with unwanted artificial flavors and colors. The great thing about making your own home-made guacamole dip is that you can add or leave out whatever ingredients you want to.
If you hate onions, great; then don’t put any into your dip. If you’re not a spicy-loving person, your guacamole doesn’t need to have anything spicy; but if cumin and chile powder are still your favorite tastes, then mix them in moderate quantities.
Fresh add-ins like tomato or coriander
If onion’s not your thing but you want the guacamole to go further or you just love fresh tomatoes, go ahead and dice up a tomato to add to your guacamole. Make sure to use your fork and mash up the avocado chunks well before you add in the tomato if you don’t want the juice of the tomatoes to make the dip too runny. If you really want a chunky version of the dip, you can even go easy with the mashing of the avocado. Additionally, you can toss in some freshly chopped coriander leaves and stalks to round out your dish aesthetically.
Spicy add-ins like chile powder, cumin and hot sauce
Whatever is your go-to way to add some kick to a dish can be used to flavor your guacamole dip. You may want to add in one-eighth of a teaspoon of chile powder, one-fourth of a teaspoon of ground cumin and one-half a teaspoon of hot sauce per avocado. Alternatively, you can make your own cajun style of seasoning by adding oregano, paprika and cayenne with black pepper and salt. Using minced jalapeno peppers as your go-to flavor on occasion can also give variety if you eat guacamole often and are just looking for a change.
If you’re serving a surprisingly spicy kind of guacamole at a dinner party, though, you may want to warn the guests of the hot factor so some poor, unsuspecting person doesn’t scoop up a giant mouthful expecting a simple serving of a mild dip.
Tasty add-ins like bacon, cranberries or pistachios
Okay, so vegetarians obviously aren’t impressed by the incorporation of bacon, but meat lovers may love the inclusion so know your audience if you’re putting together a spread of food for others. You can toss in some bacon bits or fry up some bacon strips that day and then let the meat cool before crumpling it up and stirring it into your bowl of guacamole. If you don’t like meat but still want something quick to toss into your dish to set it apart from other guacamoles, consider throwing in some cranberries or pistachios for an added taste and texture.
Sweet add-ins like mango and pineapple
If you’re interested in something that will transform your guac into something sweet and out of the ordinary, consider adding in some diced up fresh fruit for a tropical dish. If fresh pineapple and mango are out of the budget, though, you can certainly pick up a can of pineapple sometime when it’s on sale and keep a bag of mango in your freezer. Stir gently with delicate mix-ins and don’t add in the extra fruit juice that comes in the can.
The perfect complements for your dip
If you’re looking for something other than a store-bought bag of chips to serve with your fabulous guacamole dip, here are some ideas to think about. Depending on the situation at hand, you may be interested in making your main dish something that goes well with guacamole directly on it or in finding dipping alternatives that show you put a little more thought into the menu.
Main dishes like chicken breasts, lemon-pepper shrimp or hamburgers
We probably all get that guacamole is a perfect accent for Mexican dishes like tacos, nachos and burritos, but the yummy topping can also go well on all sorts of seasoned meats including chicken, shrimp and hamburger. You can even make a buttermilk ranch guacamole to dip your spicy chicken wings.
Dippable veggies
Fresh vegetables like carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, broccoli and bell pepper sticks, can each act as great dip companions for healthful snacking. Since these non-starchy veggies are diet freebies, dieters can cut out the calories of chips by loading up on fresh, easy-to-dip vegetables. However, avocados are high in fat so those who are watching their weight will still want to use some judgment in portion control when it comes to the guacamole itself.
Homemade chips
Whether you want to slice up corn tortillas for deep frying or baking, you can make your own chips to show your sincerity for cooking or just to customize the taste of the chips to your own likings. If you’d rather, you can also bake sweet potato sticks or slices for a homemade chip that isn’t corn based but still goes perfectly with guacamole dip.
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