if you think you have the best...

...guacamole recipe, i want it!

we are having fiesta night (again!) and i am tired of my same old guac... also if you have any super delish, healthful mexican food ideas, you can post those here, too!

already on the menu: grilled chicken fajitas, grilled steak fajitas, fire roasted bell peppers and onions, chicken and cheese tamales, roasted tomato and jalapeno salsa, and fresh fruit...

thanks!

EDIT: keep reading, i added a dessert request at the bottom of this thread...

*drools*

We just toss avocado, a bit of salsa and minced garlic in our little silver bullet and wah-lah guacamole.

Ok, I'm jealous, mexican food is one of my favorites!

As for guacamole, I've always just used avocado, tomato, and a little garlic.  Good stuff!

mexican food is soooo good, and i think making it at home is great because you have control over exactly what goes in it... the only thing i make that is a little dangerous, are the tamales, but i let myself have one, and i'm happy!

thanks for your replies! anyone else want to share...

best guac (needs tasting while you make it tho)

avocado, mushed but still chunky
clove (or more) garlic, minced finely
tomato, diced
onion (i usually use about a half of med onion), diced
cilantro, finely chopped (this is person pref)
salt
pepper
LIME JUICE (no guac is complete with out an acid juice you can use lemon if you want)

so, do your avocado-- and mash to your fave consistency, then mix in the rest of the ingredients gently, slowly adding lime juice until you reach the flavor that suits you best.

if you like spicy guac, use a bit of a small jalepeno, finely chopped

then fridge for about an hour to let flavors meld, placing plastic wrap flush with the guac to keep it from turning brown.

(you know, you could also try what i do with salsa and throw in a firm fruit like mango-- for some reason this morning that sounds good with guac, dunno tho)

Wow, drea99, I just read that recipe, and it made me so hungry. I think your recipe might be the winner.

I'm making guacamole tonight!

YUMMMY... I love mexican food! 

Yes, go with drea's recipe, the secret to GREAT guac is the cilantro!

yay i won a recipe contest LOL.

one of my fave recipes is low fat creamy enchiladas with green chiles... and it comes from the back of a can lol.  i modified it, of course, but who doesnt?

1 lb chicken, cut into strips, salted slightly and peppered (can also use chilli powder or taco seasoning if you feel like it)
equivalent of 2 small cans green chiles
1 pckg low fat or fat free cream cheese
1 jalepeno
tortillas (also good not baked and used as filling for tacos or on salad)
peppers (green yellow red whatever)
onions in strips if you choose
1 jar green sauce (yum tomatillos!)

brown chicken with pam, stir in peppers and onions if desired, cook until desired tenderness; drain or wipe out pan to get rid of the extra fat, add cream cheese and chillis and jalepenos, melt until creamy and delicious.  roll in tortillas, place in glass dish, cover with green sauce and extra jalepenos if desired (i make half with extra inside the tortilla and half plain).  bake until bubbley.  (can also put cheese on top but i skip that).

its ooey-gooey, tastes like it should be killer for the diet but is fabulous and low fat.  oh, i serve with spanish rice with lots of tomatos and salad.

okay then, i'm trying dreas guacamole...

those enchiladas off the back of the can are good, a friend brought them to our new years mexican feast... we have a lot of fiestas in our house! the cream cheese definitely makes it super ooey-gooey! my enchiladas stemmed from the back of a tortilla package many moons ago... haven't made them in a while, maybe i should add them to our menu...

oh man, makes me hungry just thinking about it all!

I mash 1 large clove of  garlic with a little salt,  add 1 diced avocado, 2 tbs finely minced onion, and some fresh squeezed lime or lemon juice and lightly mash. Everyone always asks how we make it.

My recipe is pretty similar to drea's, but I like to add a bit of cumin and sometimes chili powder.  I like things with a lot of spice!  :) 

okay any ideas for a dessert?

something easy, and i don't care about the nutritional value too much as this is for a bunch of young, single guys... they need good, home cooked food!

dang, wish some of you single women lived closer... can you get here by sunday?

ohhh, kirs10, this is just the kind of thing i was talking about in my journal... you'd need the week behind your desk to recover!!

what sort of dessert?

fruit? chocolate? baked? easy? messy?

personally i love cobblers or apple crisps-- easy and everyone thinks they are fab and the produce right now is perfect for a peach and plum cobbler

single men? where do you live?  i do have a car ;)

um, you'd need a plane or a boat... though a boat probably wouldn't get you here (portugal) by sunday...

well, we are havign a fresh fruit salad so for dessert i was thinking something chocolate, baked... difficulty doesn't matter, nor does cleanliness.

brownies and ice cream with a cinnamon-chocolate sauce is my back up plan... just thought i'd see if someone else had an idea for a good dessert!

I just keep it simple - mashed avocado, lime juice, salt, maybe a dash of hot sauce.  That's it. 

ooooooooo.......

sailors, mexican food, and the portuguese coast....

*cleans the drool from her face*  HEAVEN!

If you want the dessert to stay mexican themed then flan is a good option or anything with chocolate (if it was cooler out, hot chocolate with chili pepper in it is surprisingly good).  Or sundaes are always good:  scoop of vanilla, scoop of coffee, sliced bananas and some fudge and whipped cream.

Also, if you're interested I have a recipe for a Chocolate Cinnamon Cake with Banana Sauce (though, I'm not a fan of the sauce bit) or Pueblo Pastelitos (half circle shaped pastry/dough pockets filled with dried fruits, brown sugar and nuts) 

I use a version of drea99's recipie, but I usually add a roasted jalepeno or anaheim pepper.  I like things SPICY!

For desert... what about fruit granitas?  puree fruit in blender/food processor, taste, add sugar if needed (but not more than 1/3 total volume or it won't freeze) a little lime juice, a little tequila.... zonkers!  desert and drinks all in one.

i know lily! if only you lived closer!

i'd love the recipe for the cinnamon-chocolate cake... that is exactly the kind of thing i had in mind!

thanks!

kirsten, the granitas sound good, too... hmmm, maybe we'll add those to the menu!

Here ya go meljo!  Hope you get this in time for you party.  Silly work getting in the way of my C-C life again =)

Warning:  This is not calorie friendly :-)

Chocolate Cinnamon Cake with Banana Sauce
4 1-oz squares semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 c unsalted butter at room temp
1 tbsp instant coffee powder
5 eggs separated
1 c granulated sugar
1 c flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the sauce
4 ripe bananas
1/4 c light brown sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 c whipping cream
1 tbsp rum

1.  Preheat to 350 F, grease 8 inch round cake pan
2.  Combine chocolate & butter in double boiler, stir until melted.  Remove and add coffee.  Set aside
3.  Beat yolks with sugar until thick and light colored.  Add chocolate mixture and beat on low to blend.
4.  Sift flour and cinnamon into bowl
5.  In another bowl beat the egg whites until stiff peaks.
6.  Fold egg whites into chocolate mixture in three batches alternating with flour.
7.  Pour into pan, bake about 40-50 min.

For Sauce
1.  Slice bananas into shallow heatproof dish and add brown sugar and lemon juice.  Stir.
2.  Place under broiler, stir occasionally, until caramelized and bubbling (approx 8 min)
3.  Put bananas in bowl and mash with fork until almost smooth.  Add cream and rum.  Serve warm with cake.

Hope you like it!

well, the fiesta was fab!

lily, i used your recipe and tweaked a brownie mix... they came out great! i didn't make the banana sauce, mostly because i had soooo much else to do!

the guacamole was great, i made a ton, and there was none left... everybody loves the guac!

thanks to all of you who posted suggestions!