Ah, Guacamole. Oh, how I love you. Truth is, I would eat avocado with a spoon every day regardless of it’s mashed up state or not. When I get really lazy and want guacamole, I add a few spoons of salsa to a mashed up avocado. When I’m missing cilantro, I make it anyway, though I think the cilantro is what makes or breaks the perfect bowl of guacamole. Below is my currently most desired version:
The Players
- 3 avocados – peeled, pitted, and mashed
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
The Fun
Mash the avocado and mix all ingredients together.
I admit, I went without a recipe. I was flying blind. And I was out of cilantro. Oh, the horror!
I’m sharing the recipe, but I hope to post a better one in the future. Also, it is as thick as Kevin asked that it be…as this was just for him. It’s got a bit of a bite.
The Ingredients
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves chopped garlic (I used my garlic press… it’s easier)
2 small onions, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
The easy part
Heat oil in sauce pan over medium heat.
Saute the garlic for a minute, and then add onions and peppers.
When the peppers and onions are tender, but not mushy, add tomatoes. Allow to simmer until it is as thick as you like it.
I was going to can a pint and leave some out for Kevin, but he asked that I leave it all out. 
A couple of weeks ago, I went to a Tulsa restaurant called LXI. I didn’t really care for the atmosphere, but I did love the food. One thing we had was basil hummus. I thought that I could certainly recreate it at home, and I did!
The Key Players
2 cups garbanzo beans (add extra water though…they expand a lot!)
⅓ cup tahini
¼ cup lemon juice (a little less)
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, halved
2 tablespoon olive oil (and then a little more until it’s your desired consistency…add slowly)
1 pinch paprika
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1 cup fresh basil
The Directions
Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic in a blender or food processor (OK, I used my immersion blender again…it’s EASY). Blend until smooth. Add basil and blend again until smooth. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl.
We have been cutting back big time on dairy in our home, and my favorite black bean dip calls for sour cream. What’s a woman to do but start experimenting. I am not sure I would say this is 100% IT, but it is awfully dang good. I just about licked the bowl.
The Ingredients
2 cups cooked black beans
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
¼ cup tahini
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon ume vinegar or 2 teaspoons lemon juice (or to taste)
½ jalapeno pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
½ small-medium onion, roughly chopped
The Directions
Combine all ingredients in container for immersion blender. Pulse until smooth and all ingredients are combined. Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve right away or refrigerate over night.
I served this with a variety of vegetables, as well as some corn chips and pita chips. It was delicious and would also work well in tacos. In the “not IT’ part of this dip, when I make it again, I will add cilantro and more onion. Also, allowing it to sit overnight definitely helps blend the flavors.
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