Usually situated next to a bowl of taco chips and salsa, guacamole is often the first dish finished at any party I’ve ever been to. It’s definitely one of my favourites. It’s also one of the few party dishes that, on it’s own, is entirely healthy. The main ingredient alone, avocados, contain nearly 20 essential vitamins and minerals. Although they are high in fat, it’s mostly unsaturated fat (the good kind). Unsaturated fats can actually aid your body in absorbing nutrients from other foods. These healthy fats also help you to feel full longer. Traditionally, guacamole is made by mashing together avocados and sea salt, but once you have the basic recipe down, you can tweak it any number of ways to make your own variation. Here is my go-to recipe:
Guacamole
2 Ripe Avocados from Mexico
1 Lime
1/4 Cup sweet onion, finely diced
1 Garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp fresh cilantro
Salt to taste
Cut the avocados in half, remove the pit and scoop the flesh into a small bowl. Using a fork or potato masher, mash the avocado with the lime juice, garlic and salt until desired consistency. Gently stir in the onion and cilantro. Chill for 30 minutes before serving. Makes about 2 Cups.
When I talk about avocados, I usually talk about Avocados from Mexico. Why? Because even in Canada, with our cold winters, Avocados from Mexico are always in season. Taking up about 80% of the market share in Canada, the Hass avocados that we all know and love are actually the result of grafting the branches of the Patron avocado plant and the roots of the Criollo avocado plant. Hand grafting these plants can take 3 – 5 years, but after that, each small plant is capable of producing up to 750 lbs of beautiful, creamy avocados.
When I make a batch of guacamole, I’m very happy (I mean, very happy) to sit and devour the entire bowl of it with nothing more than taco chips, but it’s really versatile and can be used to add some extra flavour to a ton of different dishes. One of my favourite ways to use it is as a spread on an egg and bacon breakfast sandwich. It’s also a delicious replacement for mayo in a chicken salad sandwich. In honour of National Guacamole Day, September 16th, and to have a little fun, I thought I’d play around a bit and find other ways to use guacamole. These guacamole jalapeno poppers have quickly become one of my favourites. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did 🙂
Guacamole Jalapeno Poppers
12 jalapeno peppers
3/4 cup guacamole
4 oz cream cheese, softened
6 strips of bacon
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Farenheit.
Slice the bacon into 1/2″ strips. Over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Set aside to cool.
Slice the jalapenos in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and ribs. NOTE: When working with any spicy pepper, make sure that you keep your hands away from your eyes and that you don’t have any cuts on your hands. Trust me on this one and, if necessary, wear gloves.
Mix the cream cheese and guacamole together in a small bowl. Add the bacon and gently stir together until evenly distributed. Fill each jalapeno cavity with about 1 tbsp of the mixture. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until the peppers are tender and the guacamole mixture is heated through.
I love the idea of stuffing the jalapeno with guac! I love guac and avocados and use them as condiments on all kinds of sandwiches including burgers! I didn’t know tomorrow was guac day. Sounds like the perfect reason to make a margarita!
Absolutely! Although, I think any day is a perfect day for a margarita, lol.
We think a lot a like my friend!
Great mashup. Two of my favorites. Thanks for sharing with us
@ThrowbackThursday. Hope to see you next week.
Sorry doing double duty this week. Hosting Throwback Thursday and Fiesta Friday. Thanks for sharing with us at Fiesta Friday #86. Happy FF!
Haha. You must be pretty busy. Happy Throwback Thursday and Fiesta Friday! Have a great weekend 🙂
Guacamole is one of my favorite ways to use them. I make jalapeno poppers but I really like your idea of adding quacamole. I can just taste them now
I pushed the wrong button and did not finish my comment! Thanks so much for bringing this favorite appetizer to Fiesta Friday.
Thank you!
Hi Natalie,
Everyone seems to love Guacamole all thought I have never eaten it. Maybe I should try it. It certainly sounds like a healthy and tasty recipe. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Pinned & twitted.
Thank you, Marla! If you’ve never tried guacamole, I definitely recommend giving it a shot 🙂 One of my favourites
What a great idea! I love guac, and avocado in almost any form.
Thank you! Me, too 🙂
I love guacamole, your jalapeño poppers look delicious. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you 🙂
I haven’t even made jalapeño poppers yet (although I did once stuff jalapeños with crab dip) and now you’ve come up with guacamole poppers?! You’re way ahead, Natalie! Sound pretty incredible!
Thanks Angie! Crab dip jalapeñossound pretty amazing, too 🙂
What a great idea, I love jalapeño poppers but they are fairly unhealthy. These look delicious.
Thank you!