I can totally make a meal out of just chips and homemade guacamole. And avocados have healthy fats, so it’s ok! I should totally add “Eat guacamole and chips while the kids are napping” to my list of ideas for self-care for moms.

I used to really hate guacamole. Green, slimy and all you could taste is garlic. Blech. But then I went to Chipotle and had it the right way-with no garlic! It was a little chunky, not a slimy paste like guacamole tends to be.

The key to great homemade guacamole

I tried several recipes and was less than thrilled with the results. Then I read an article in some magazine where Laura Bush mentioned that the key to good guacamole is lime juice. Guacamole is another one of those personal dishes that you just have to adjust to your liking. I like a little texture in mine, and lots of lime juice. I mean, lots. For me, lime juice really was the key!

When we have dinner with extended family I’m not allowed to make the guacamole (My brother-in-law recently said at one such dinner, “Keep the lime juice away from her.”). They usually scoop out a little mashed avocado for me so I can have some without garlic, and so I can drown mine in lime juice. I jokingly say that I like a little avocado with my lime juice and cilantro.

Feel free to use more or less lime juice and cilantro-or add garlic, if you must (ew).

How to choose perfect avocados for guacamole

Tip about avocados: I usually buy mine slightly green and then let them ripen on the counter. They’re ripe when there is almost no green left and they are soft when you gently press against the skin. Too green and they’ll be hard to mash, too ripe and they’ll have black, yucky spots.

Homemade Guacamole

-Ingredients-

2 hass avocados
2 T. minced red onion
1/4 C. minced fresh cilantro
2-4 T. lime juice (and yes, I use every bit of 4 T.!)
Salt, to taste

1. Cut the avocados in half, remove the pit and scoop out the avocado. Mash with a fork until as chunky or smooth as you like.

2. Add the red onion, cilantro, lime juice and salt-I usually start with a few big pinches, then add more if needed, remembering that I’m going to eat it with salted tortilla chips:)

Yes, that is a puddle of lime juice!

3. Stir together, then add more of whatever you think it needs. Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator until needed.

Notes: Tip! You can keep the homemade guacamole from turning brown as quickly by using a lot of lime juice (!) and by pressing a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the guacamole, squishing out any air bubbles.

Yield: About 1.5 C. homemade guacamole

This post is shared at Kitchen Tip Tuesday at Tammy’s Recipes and Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop