Fresh Avocado Guacamole Dip

I am thoroughly enjoying going GF. I am discovering all of these simple new amazing recipes. Today, I discovered avocados. YUM! Also known as an alligator pear. It is so versatile and great on salads, dip, tacos, and even in simple recipes that require a stuffing or sauce.

Just like every other fresh food, the key is knowing how to pick it and prepare it. Choosing an avocado can be tricky, I have been fooled on what I thought was ripe, but was not even close. The method I discovered that works best is to first look for one that is semi smooth, not huge bumps on it. Then gently press on the skin. It should give just a little. Too hard means its not ripe. If its mushy, it is too ripe. If you can see the "meat" moving around when you press on it, it is too soft. I have not yet discovered if color has anything to do with it?


 I bought two avocados today from the grocery store. One was absolutely perfect, the other was almost ripe. So I stuck it in a brown paper bag to sit for a day to soften some more. Looking forward to tossing it up into a guacamole dip tomorrow.




After you select the perfect avocado(s) take a sharp butcher knife and cut the avocado in half moving around the seed that is in the center of the fruit. Then twist the two halves to separate.

Then stick the seed with the knife and pull it out. If the fruit is too ripe, the seed will sometimes fall out.

Then with a smaller pairing knife, cut slits in a checkered pattern going the length and width of the fruit.

Then take a spoon and scoop out the insides. If it is not ripe enough it will be hard to cut and scoop, if this happens, put in a baggie and let it sit. Sprinkle lemon juice on the meat to keep it from browning.

Mash up the chunks then add the seasonings, and enjoy! 

Recipe for guacamole dip.

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/2 red onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1-2 serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed, minced
• 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of fresh lime or lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• A dash of freshly grated black pepper
• 1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped

Today I cheated and used a packet of guacamole seasoning that I had in my pantry. It was GF and did the trick. Quite yummy.

Free Range vs Store Bought

I can definitely say that I have a new found passion for all things fresh. I am still working on finding a local butcher, but after going to the farmers market and buying all our fresh produce I am hooked. My newest find is farm fresh "free range" eggs. :) Also known as "cage free" hen's eggs. They are AMAZING! Wow. Nothing like what you buy in the store. They are much larger, heavier, and even the shells are thicker. From the inside-out they are different than your store bought eggs. Even the yolk is a bright orange. When it comes to fresh eggs, it is a matter of quality over quantity. Caged hens are bred to mass produce. Which shortens their lifespan and can result in weaker, less nutritional eggs. Ever wonder why all store bought eggs look exactly the same? Me too, especially because the fresh ones are all different...makes you think, doesn't it? Commercial eggs that can be bought in the store have a much thinner shell and have a pale yellow yolk. Another signature sign of store bought eggs is their color. They are typically pure white. This is not the typical color you see on fresh eggs. Fresh eggs have a brown or bluish/green hue to them. Some find this strange, but it is just a sign of nature. A sign that nothing was engineered to be uniformly massed produced. They are indeed fresh. 

I was thrilled when a co-worker of mine offered to give me a dozen of his fresh eggs. He has about 6 chickens that he raises to lay eggs. Below are two of the eggs he gave me. One is a speckled brown egg and the other is a light bluish/green. (hard to tell in the picture, even though it looks white)

I absolutely love omelets. I was curious as to how store bought and fresh eggs would compare. So I experimented. The only difference is one i used red peppers and the other I used green. Nothing else was put in the omelet. Each omelet had 2 eggs. 

Grease the pan and let it heat up a bit. Then add the peppers and let them cook for a few minutes. Then add the eggs. Once one side is cooked and you can flip it without it breaking fold in half then let it sit for  a few minutes, letting the inside cook. Slide onto plate and enjoy. 

Two store-bought eggs with green peppers. 

Two farm fresh eggs with red peppers.