Budget Guacamole

For about half of one of these.

New Year’s Day, Cinco di Mayo and Super Bowl are the three biggest days for guacamole in the United States, in that order. Want to take the pinch out of your wallet for this treat?

Buying pre-made guacamole is an expensive addition of a ton of preservatives and fillers to your celebrating diet. This recipe is not ony cheaper per 1/3 cup serving, it is healthier.

Even if you are not a veggie fan, this sneaky extension of the traditional recipe tastes wonderful for less than $5 for a batch which will yield nine servings.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 C dried lima beans
• 1 C chopped onion
• 3 T lemon or lime juice
• 1 T butter, melted
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
• 2 ripe avocados
• Optional: 1/2 C sour cream
• Optional: 1/4 C jalapeno slices

The Day Before

1. Sort beans. Remove any foreign objects. Rinse well and drain.

2. In heavy saucepan, combine beans and chopped onion. Cover with cold water by 1/2 inch. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour until very tender.

3. Refrigerate beans in cooking liquid overnight.

Time to Serve

1. Combine juice, butter, salt and pepper in food processor.

2. If bean mixture still contains liquid, drain. Add beans and onions to processor and process until smooth.

3. Peel and cut avocados into 1/2 inch slices. Add to processor and process until smooth.

4. Remove from processor with a silicone, plastic, nylon or wooden utensil into a glass, wood or plastic serving bowl.

Optional

1. Gently fold in sour cream.

2. Top with jalapeno slices or serve with peppers on the side.

IMPORTANT

Avocados brown faster when they come in contact with both metal and air. Always use a silicone, plastic, nylon or wooden utensil to make and serve guacamole. If you prefer or do not have a food processor, this recipe is just as good chunky using a potato masher. When possible, use nylon knives and potato mashers instead of metal.

The lemon or lime juice will help the avocados keep their brilliant color.

When storing leftovers (is there such a thing?), use plastic wrap by pressing the wrap directly onto the top if the guacamole before attaching wrap to the bowl. Removing the air will cause the color to last longer.

Fresh guacamole will keep in the refrigerator for up to four days. Even if the top is brown (or black), it is safe to eat during this time. Scrape off the dark part or mix it in according to the squeamish factor of your eaters.

Cost

The basic recipe is under $5 and makes nine servings (more if your avocados are large).

Optional recipe is under $7 and makes just over ten servings (more if your avocados are large).

Other embellishments and heat producers to this include:

• 1/8 C finely minced bell or banana pepper
• 1/8 C finely diced, seeded tomato
• 1/8 t cumin
• 1/8 t chili powder
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced (added to bean cooking liquid) OR 1/8 t garlic powder
• 1/2 C picante sauce, salsa or pico de gallo, mixed in or on the side

These embellishments will add a total of $1.50 to your recipe.

Happy partying!

Are you a guacamole fan? Which day are you most likely to have guacamole?

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