This Guac Rocks!

Avocados are a really nutritious food to incorporate into any diet.  They have about 60% more potassium than bananas and have a high fiber content (1/2 of a  medium haas avocado has 6 grams of fiber!!!) They are low in carbohydrates and while they have a higher fat content, it is primarily monounsaturated fat which has been shown to lower the bad cholesterol and raise the good cholesterol.  They are also a good source of folate and vitamins K, B6, and C.  So, if you can handle the calories (1/2 a medium is 150 calories), try to fit in some avocado!

A great way to do this is with Guacamole.  I make the best, if I do say so myself...  I not only eat it with tortilla chips, it's also good on sandwiches instead of mayo, with crudites (carrots, celery, peppers...), or on a spoon....

A word about ripeness: you know when an avocado is ripe when it's soft to the touch.  You can also gently try to flick the dark, bumpy nub off the end.  If it comes off too easily, it's overripe and should be eaten immediately.  If the nub won't come off for anything, and the avocado is hard, it's under ripe but can be ripened in a small paper bag on the kitchen counter.  If I'm using the avocados on the day I am buying them, I try to find something ripe, otherwise I like to buy them a little under ripe.  You can slow the ripening by putting them in the fridge.

Guacamole
4 medium haas avocados, ripe            juice from 1-2 limes
1 roma tomato, diced                          1 t salt
1/4 white onion, diced                        2 t ground cumin
1 jalepeno pepper, minced

Cut each avocado in half.  Carefully tap the blade of a large, sharp knife into the pit so it wedges in.  Give the knife a quarter turn and the pit should come out of the meat of the avocado.  It will be stuck on the knife.  Do NOT try to remove the pit with your bare hands, it will be very slippery and you could cut yourself.  Use a kitchen towel or tap the pit against the side of the sink or trash can to get it to fall off.  Slice the meat of the avocado in the skin lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop it out.  Add the rest of the ingredients to the avocado and using a fork, mash until desired consistency.  I like mine a little chunky.
I like mine super smoky so I add more cumin than it says, and you'll have to play around with the lime juice.  Some limes are juicier than others, and it also depends on your taste.

Some people think that by putting the pit in the guacamole, it will keep it from turning a dark brown color.  This is a myth.  The reason it turns colors if from the oxidation that happens when exposed to air.  The only way I've found to keep it from turning brown is to put a layer of plastic wrap on the guacamole and press it down so that there are no pockets of air.