It’s Officially Summer

Winter came and went and summer is here — somewhere in between there was supposedly “spring,” but here in New Mexico we never experienced moderate temperatures (only ridiculous winds coupled with lots of dirt). This weekend, 90 percent of the state is expected to reach record high temps. Summertime can only mean one thing: lots of BBQs!

To kick off the festivities, we had a family BBQ over Memorial Weekend and I decided to try a new spin on one of my all-time favorite snack foods — guacamole. In my opinion, nothing says summer more than a big bowl of chips and guac and an ice cold beer (insert lame “this chic is just one of the guys” joke here). Unlike most guacamole lovers, I don’t have a go-to recipe that I find is just “the best,” so I pretty much just try and wing it every time I’m in the mood for the green stuff.

While feelin out the lovely avocados at the store over the weekend, I remembered that Des from Life’s Ambrosia had recently posted about chipotle guacamole, so I figured I’d give it a shot. I changed up the recipe a little, but the basic idea — adding chipotles to the mix — came from the ever-talented Des.

Chipotle Guacamole

Here’s what you’ll need:
Makes: about 2 cups
- 2 ripe avocados, mashed with a fork
- juice from 1/2 lime
- 1 or 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
- about 1/2 tbsp extra adobo sauce
- 1/4 cup red onion, minced
- 1/4 cup tomatoes, chopped
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- salt

Instructions:
Guacamole is pretty straight forward, but it’s awesome because you can make it your own by mashing the avocados a little more or a little less, chopping things as opposed to mincing, etc. I prefer a semi-chunky guacamole, so I left a few chunks of avocado and tomato, but tried to mince the chipotle and onion pretty well so no one got a bite full of strong peppers or onions.

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients but the salt really well, insuring that everything is mixed together and there’s a little of each ingredient in each bite. Season with a little salt, then taste. Continue adding a little salt at a time until you get the seasoning you like. Cover the mixture and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the flavors merry nicely.

Serve this awesome twist on guacamole with lots of chips and a few ice cold beers, and your BBQ guests will be happy campers!

Spicy Chipotle Guacamole

Like I said earlier, I love guacamole. This variation was definitely no exception. The heat and smoky flavor from the chipotles added a whole new dimension to guacamole that I never knew existed. The guacamole was cool and refreshing, but at the same time hot and spicy. It was a perfect twist on a classic favorite, and something I’ll be making throughout the summer for sure. Plus, even my husband the avocado hater loved the stuff! Can’t go wrong there.

I cut back on the chipotles by half from Des’ original recipe (mainly because I only had two on hand), and I thought there was plenty of heat and flavor. In fact, I can’t imagine tasting anything BUT the chipotles if I had four of them in there. By the time the entire bowl was gone, we came to the consensus that one or two chipotles in combination with one jalapeno pepper would make the perfect combination. I guess experimentation is just one more reason for me to whip up more guacamole, right?! I’m not complaining….