Sunday, July 6, 2014

Mexican Flag Guacamole - a Chillin' #SundaySupper

Guacamole is a staple on many cookout tables, especially when the mercury starts rising. It's hard to argue with the light meal that can be made of tortilla chips and a dip assortment, it's a key component in 7-layer dip and when it's tossed with cooked pasta and chilled you have one of Summer's best, mayo-free pasta salads (you have to try it!). That said, the majority of the guac you can buy at the grocery store is, for lack of a better term, disturbing. The texture is off-putting for people like me (who are on the edge of avocado hate / like) as well as those who know what real avocado tastes like, and the colour stays eerily green despite all my homemade attempts at a recipe turning brown when exposed to air. I think a childhood of off-putting texture and bland flavour definitely dissuades me from enjoying the fruit, although my family can't get enough of them!

Near the end of school, I had one last hurrah with our kids' cooking lessons and decided to introduce them to the concept of a dip not out of a plastic container that they could make almost entirely themselves. Most of the kids had no idea what an avocado tasted like (they did know what it was, though), and their idea of Mexico was more akin to Taco Bell than Toluca. I decided on a "Cinco de Mayo" theme (late, but still fun) and brought in an antique festival dress I had purchased years ago but only worn a handful of times. The kids (and my supervising teachers!) had a great time learning about the celebration and couldn't wait to try making the dip fresh.

Being that avocados don't exactly proliferate up here, even the ripest fruit I could find left a little to be desired on the creaminess and flavour scale. Peering in the fridge while testing the recipe, I spotted my mom's container of Greek yoghurt and decided to dollop in a spoonful, almost as you would sour cream on a taco. The creaminess instantly came into its own, and with the diced tomatoes, homegrown scallions and garlic chives the dip took on a vibrant flavour and colour perfect for snacking! When it came to presenting the recipe to my classes, my reasoning for the yoghurt was to provide the "white" component in a Mexican flag-hued dish, helping me to tie in an extra aspect of the lesson with minimal segue. Not only did the kids love mashing it up, but they asked for seconds (and thirds!) of the dip on the multigrain "scoop" chips I found!

Mexican Flag Guacamole

This week's #SundaySupper is all about food to both keep you cool as well as being served cold. While this dip is equally delicious at room temperature or right out of the fridge, storing it in the icebox is the way to go if you're not eating it that minute. Our hostess this week is Alaiyo of Pescetarian Journal - thanks!

Brisk Beverages

Chilled Starters

Snappy Salads and Sides

Refreshing Main Dishes

Cool Confections
Sunday Supper Movement 
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET.  Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Mexican Flag Guacamole
Makes 6 adult or 10 child servings
Flesh of 1 large, ripe (Haas) avocado
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp non-fat, plain Greek yoghurt (or homemade)
pinch black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 plum tomato, diced
2 tbsp minced scallions
1/2 tbsp minced chives (I like garlic chives)
  1. In a bowl, mash the avocado, lemon juice, yoghurt, pepper and salt until creamy but not all-the-way smooth.
  2. Fold in the tomato, scallion and chives.
  3. Press a layer of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the guacamole and chill at least 1 hour.
  4. Ideally, bring out about 20 minutes before serving (although this is still good right out of the fridge!).
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 54.6
Total Fat: 4.5 g
Cholesterol: 0.1 mg
Sodium: 6.2 mg
Total Carbs: 3.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.1 g
Protein: 1.3 g

No comments :

Post a Comment

Thanks for the feedback!