Pico and Guac

With playoffs here and Super Bowl around the corner, you may be on the lookout for great dips and snacks.  Well, I'm here to share my recipes for 2 dips that no game day should be without: Pico De Gallo and Guacamole.  

There are thousands of recipes out there for Guacamole but I happen to like mine nice and chunky which is why I add fresh pico de gallo to it.  Sure you can grab store bought pico and use it in this guac recipe, but I actually like to make both.  Some people don't like guacamole and even thought that makes them crazy, I like to give another option so I make the pico, use some in the guac and it's a win/win.

Even though I give measurements here, when it comes to the seasonings, just do it by taste.  I like to use alot of cilantro and lime and I also enjoy garlic in my guac.  But you can adjust the seasonings to your own taste.  AND if you really want to kick your guacamole up a notch, check out my Seafood Version.

Pico and Guac use pretty much the same ingredients!

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients: (Makes about 2 Cups)

5 plum tomatoes, seeded, diced

½ cup red or white onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

Juice of ½ a Lime

Salt & Fresh Black Pepper, to taste

Directions:

After you have removed the seeds and diced your tomatoes, add them to a bowl.  Then add the finely chopped onion and cilantro and stir to combine.  Next squeeze half a lime over tomatoes and season liberally with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  Give mixture a final stir, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve.  Serve with tortilla chips or as a topping for tacos, quesadillas, burritos, eggs, you name it!

Guacamole 

Ingredients:

3 Ripe* Hass Avocados

2 Limes, juiced

1/2 cup Store Bought or Fresh Pico Gallo (see above) 

1-2 cloves garlic, grated using a micro-plane

Salt & Fresh Black Pepper, to taste

*A ripe avocado is dark green and soft to the touch when you squeeze it gently. If your avocados are bright green and hard, they will need 2-3 days to ripen by simply leaving them out on the kitchen counter.

Directions:

Grip the avocado gently on one side with one hand. With a large, sharp knife in the other hand, cut the avocado lengthwise around the seed. Open the two halves to expose the pit.  Remove the seed by scooping it out with spoon or using a knife to cut into the seed and twisting it out. Then, using a spoon, scoop the flesh of the avocado out into a small bowl. Roll the limes on the kitchen counter to release their juices, cut the lime in half and squeeze all of the juice onto the avocados. Next, mash the avocado using the spoon until to combine with the lime juice (this will keep it from browning). Lastly, add the salsa, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Give it a final mix and serve immediately with chips.