Guacamole Salsa
What I really like about the weekly visit to the open air farmer’s market isn’t just the beautiful and flavorful in season fruits and vegetables, it’s finding things you never seen before, then asking about them with someone who’s come up beside you to buy whatever it is. Today it was an herb called papalo. It’s so pretty and the fragrance is so lovely you want to take it home, put it in a vase and set it on the table.
Avocados are one of the world’s healthiest foods. While almost thee quarters of the 300 calories of the average avocado are from fat, it’s healthy fat, the monounsaturated fats known to reduce low-density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol and help increase the good kind of cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins (HDL). Avocados are a fruit that have approximately 20 nutrients including Vitamin K, folate B vitamins, vitamin C and 60 percent more potassium than a banana. And they are a good source of fiber. Avocados uniquely carry polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols that you find in ocean plant but are unusual to find in a land plant. These have anti-inflammatory benefits. Avocados assist in the absorption of carotenoid antioxidants – lycopene and betacarotene- when avocado is added to a salad or spinach, dark lettuce and carrots. Avocado oil will do the same. Avocados also have carotenoids. When you peel avocado, be aware that the greatest concentration of carotenoids occur in the darker parts of the flesh.
Rather that trying to peel an avocado, which can end up a messy job, run a knife around the pit to split it in half. Remove the pit by carefully hitting it with a large knife and pulling it out (find a you tube video to show you have to do this). Make slices down to the skin, then run a large spoon right next to the skin to lift the flesh out.
Garnished with papalo.
Guacamole Salsa
Ingredients
- 3 avocados
- 3 tablespoons white or red onion, finely minced*
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
- 1 tablespoon finely minced cilantro
- 1 1/2 cups diced tomato (remove skins if they are tough)
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Mash 2 1/2 avocados and dice the remaining 1/2. Mix all ingredients together. If you want, you can reserve some of the tomato, onion and minced cilantro.
For gluten free and low carb, serve with Siete tortilla chips, nut crackers, sliced mushrooms, cucumber, carrot, celery and jicama sticks.
* You can soak the onions for 10 minutes or pickle them for 15 minutes to temper the bite of the raw onion and possibly make them easier to digest if you have problems with raw onions.
