Guacamole

Guacamole could be my most requested dish. Whether I'm going to a cookout, a hangout, flopping with some friends, or throwing a party, I'm usually asked to make guacamole. And not to toot my horn or anything, but (toot toot) it's good. I'm actually not sure why I can't find great guacamole anywhere except my own kitchen, and I'm sure everyone else here on the east coast has had similar experiences. I'm always so jealous of the Mexican food that must be served closer to the border (and in the country itself) . The one and only time I visited California, I couldn't get enough of San Francisco's Chinatown, and basically survived on sushi. I need to go back to the west coast dreamland to give my food consumption another shot. I seriously have had maybe one successful experience with ordering this creamy dip at a restaurant. It's always the same...avocados, onion, and the tiniest amounts of lime and garlic, if any. My favorite part, tons of cilantro, is usually left out. For some reason, restaurants aren't into adding fresh herbs and spices. It's always so bland, and usually more like an avocado hummus, than a chunky guacamole. 

How good are avocados, by the way? I mean basically a butter substitute, right? Pretty much any dish can be escalated with the addition of some sliced avocado - stir-fry, curry, eggs, toast, chili, soups in general, salad, smoothies, pasta, and my most recent experience, chocolate mousse. A good rule to follow in the kitchen might be this: always add avocado. I'm trying to think of something that would be totally gross with avocado added to it. I was going to say maybe oatmeal, but scratch that. I used to eat my oatmeal (and yogurt) every morning with some mashed up banana, avocado, and cinnamon mixed in. I think I might get back into that like right now. Or maybe I'll make some avocado banana bread. That sounds incredible. Add chocolate? I mean I guess. And while you're dreaming up all the different things you can add this creamy, green superfood to, make some guacamole to feed your brain...

Guacamole

4 ripe and ready avocados, pits removed

1/4-1/2 small onion, diced

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup (or more) chopped cilantro

2 limes, juiced

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 tablespoon cumin

sea salt, to taste

Mix and mash everything in a medium size bowl. Taste for seasoning (my favorite part). It's better when the flavors have a chance to meld, so I'd recommend letting it sit in the fridge for an hour or so - room temp is fine too. I add a good amount of lime juice, so if I put some plastic wrap directly onto the guacamole before sticking it in the fridge, it usually lasts me a couple days. Just give it a good mix, and any brown spots should go away. 

We ♥ Guacamole!

Cilantro-Jalapeno Hummus

Did You Know? Last year, over 1,000 tons of hummus was eaten during Israeli Independance Day (Yom Haatzmaut). Of that thousand, 881 pounds was consumed out of a single, Guiness-Record sized plate.

It's hard to believe that this is my first hummus post on Buff Chickpea. I practically live off of it. Whether I'm dipping veggies, crackers, chips, a spoon, or my finger in it, I have to have hummus everyday, no joke. Whenever I am home from school, and for some strange reason there is no hummus left in the fridge (I call and ask Mom), I hit the grocery store before ending at my house.

I love how adaptible hummus (and most bean dips for that matter) is. If you master the basic puree, which isn't hard to master, you can add in flavors to suit your tastes. Be it roasted red peppers, tomato and basil, zesty lemon, roasted garlic, you name it, there is a hummus to show for it.

I've only very recently become smitten with cilantro. And now that my taste buds have warmed up, I've been adding it to everything. I bought an awesome three-layer hummus at Trader Joe's the other day, and one of the layers was cilantro-based. Hoping to recreate this new found fave, I pulled out my food processor, and gave it a go. The results were incredible! I don't know why I don't make homemade hummus more often, because this is definitely the way to eat it. Creamy, fresh, and spicy, and still warm, I was in hummus-heaven, if such a place exists. If your looking for a go-to hummus recipe, look no further, this is your one...

Cilantro-Jalapeno HummusI prefer the taste of cashew butter to tahini, but feel free to substitute
1 (15-oz) can of chickpeas
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup cashew butter
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed
1-2 tablespoons cooking water*

Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Gently rub the skins off of the chickpeas with your hands (I like to remove all of them for a smoother consistency). Transfer the skinned chickpeas to a small saucepan, and cover them with water by an inch or so. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 5-10 minutes, until the chickpeas are very soft. Drain, making sure to reserve a little of the cooking water.*

Add the cashew butter, lemon juice, salt and garlic to a food processor, and pulse for a couple of seconds to combine. Add the chickpeas, cilantro, and jalapeno, and process until smooth. If the hummus is on the dry side, add a tablespoon or two of cooking water (or more), until you reach your desired consistency (I like a real creamy hummus, but it only took me about 1 tablespoon of water). Scrape down the sides in between each tablespoon, and season with additional salt if needed.

Transfer to a bowl, and serve with veggies or pita chips. Or if your like me, eat directly from the food processor. It was so good nice and warm from the freshly simmered chickpeas.