The Perfect Guacamole That Won't Kill Your Diet

As Super Bowl Sunday approaches, there is only one thing more important than who wins the game. And that is, who is making the guacamole dip for the party?  In the year 2000, it was estimated that Americans consumed 8 million pounds of avocados for the game. Fast forward to this year and the Hass Avocado Board predicts that the number will be up to 104.2 million pounds!

So if you are going to join the rest of America and make guacamole on Sunday, why not make the best possible version. Here are a couple of things to think about before we get to the recipe. When you are buying avocados, I recommend getting Hass brand. They might be a little smaller than others, but they typically have less water in them so they taste better. When picking out your avocados, if you peek under the small stem on the end, you will have a better idea if the inside is green or brown. Under the stem you want to see more green than brown. And finally, if you get some avocados that aren't quite ripe, place them in a brown paper bag with a banana or apple and they will ripen faster.

For this recipe you will need the following:

• 5-6 ripe avocados
• 2-3 tomatoes chopped. I prefer Roma, with the seeds and pulp removed
• 1/2 of a red onion
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 of a lime
• 1-2 serrano chilles with seeds removed
• 1 bunch of cilantro chopped
• salt and pepper

Cut the avocados in half and remove the pit. Scoop the avocados out of the peels and place them in a bowl. For chunkier guac you can mash the avocados with a fork. I personally prefer a creamier version so I blend mine.

Add the chopped onion, garlic, and chopped peppers. (I recommend washing your hands thoroughly after handling the peppers. I have accidentally rubbed my eyes 1 to many times when I thought my hands were clean enough.) Squeeze the lime juice into the mixture. The amount of cilantro to add depends on you. I tend to add about 1/4 cup, but I love cilantro. Next add the tomatoes and then salt and pepper to taste.

Mix all the ingredients well and you are ready to eat!

If you need to store the guac and don't want it to turn brown, I have 2 recommendations. The first is to leave a few pits in the mixture. The other more effective method is to pack your guacamole tightly. Then pour about half an inch of water on top of it and store it in the fridge. The water will prevent the guacamole from oxidizing. When it is time to eat, just pour off the water and mix the guacamole with a spoon.

Enjoy! Hopefully the game is as good as the guacamole.