September 16th is national guacamole day! Avocados are everywhere lately, as Americans have
caught on to the health benefits of this green fleshy fruit and are now slicing
it up in sandwiches, over eggs, and in salads.
Avocados are certainly not new, but have been around for thousands of years,
originating in Mexico and Central and South America.
The health benefits of avocado are many: one-fifth of an avocado has only 50 calories,
yet provides 20 different vitamins and minerals. Some people are hesitant about the fat
content, but remember, it contains one of the good fats – monounsaturated - which can help lower blood
cholesterol and is considered heart healthy.
So avocados can be a positive addition to the diet, especially if you
use it in place of a less healthy fat.
For instance, you could mash up a ripe avocado until it’s creamy and
spread on a sandwich in place of mayonnaise.
One of the more popular forms of avocado consumption is as
guacamole. Basic guacamole generally
consists of chopped or mashed avocado, tomato, garlic, onion, lemon or lime
juice, and hot pepper or hot seasoning to taste. But, as with homemade salsa, you can pretty
much do what you want with it: add
cilantro, cheese, chilis, chipotle pepper, mango, roasted corn – be creative! Then serve with tortilla chips, veggie
sticks, on a sandwich, on a taco, or with grilled chicken or fish. Guacamole is
easy to make at home, or if you haven’t been by the new Guac N Roll in the
Ellicott Food Court, check out their homemade guacamole, which is a great
topping for a quesadilla or mixed into a burrito bowl.
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