What’s more crowd pleasing than guacamole? Maybe a totally customizable guacamole bar! If you are already getting geared up for the Big Game, just a couple weeks away, you are not alone. If you are already planning your football party menu, I have one recommendation for you. Roll out a Guacamole Bar. I’ve been avocado obsessed for a long time now so I personally don’t need an occasion to down a bowl of guacamole, but with a table full of all of the possible mix in’s you’re sure to please everyone.
Avocados are high in calories, there’s no doubt, but if there’s a throw down between highly fatty cheese dip and the good heart fixing omega 3’s in an avocado I think Guac wins!
What goes better with Guacamole than a salty rimmed ice cold margarita? Nothing!
To add color and texture, mix in tomatoes, chopped bell peppers, corn, black beans or olives.
If you’re a heat seeker, add extra garlic, diced jalepenos, green chili peppers, poblano peppers, ground cayenne pepper or cumin.
If you love cilantro, go overboard with it because it adds big flavor. Get creative by adding crumbled goat cheese, char-grilled corn, pickled jalepenos, mango salsa.
I’m sure if you’ve ever enjoyed guacamole you probably don’t need a recipe to replicate it but here’s a quick list for inspiration. I like mine super simple, just the essentials. Go crazy, experiment, see what works best for you.
When planning for a crowd I like to count on one avocado per person. I recommend only chopping up a few at a time. It’s easy enough to do as the bowl empties, just add more. You don’t want avocados to sit out too long as they will turn brown and lose their fresh taste. A little squeeze of lime or lemon juice will usually keep them bright and fresh.
Guacamole Bar
INGREDIENTS:
Essential
- 1 medium ripe avocado, mashed
- juice of 1/2 lime, or to taste
- pinch salt, to taste
Optional Add-Ins
- tomatoes
- onions (red, white, yellow, Vidalia, green, scallions, etc.)
- garlic
- cilantro
- pico de gallo
- jalepeno peppers (fresh, canned, pickled, etc.)
- green chili peppers (fresh, canned, fire-roasted, etc.)
- poblano peppers
- serrano peppers
- bell peppers (any color)
- ground cayenne pepper
- red pepper flakes
- cumin
- salsa
- corn (fresh, frozen, char-grilled, etc.)
- black beans
- olives
- cheese (crumbled Cotija, feta, goat, blue, etc.)
- mango
- pineapple
- anything else you love
Serve With
- sour cream
- salsa
- pico de gallo
- margaritas
Serve On
- tortilla chips
- flatbread
- toasted pita bread
- baguette slices
- crackers
- slices of bell pepper
DIRECTIONS:
- Peel and de-seed the avocado. Scoop out and mash the flesh in a medium bowl.
- Add the lime juice, salt to taste, and stir to combine.
- Add as many add-ins, to taste, as desired and stir to combine.
- Serve with optional ‘serve with’ items (sour cream, etc.) and serve on chips or alternate dippers. Guacamole is best enjoyed fresh.
ENJOY!
About the Author
Photographer Sally Roeckell specializes in contemporary lifestyle portraiture with an emphasis on food photography. Her Blog, Table and Dish is a website devoted to celebrating and curating the many ways that food binds us. Sally hopes that her recipes and images will inspire you to gather your friends and family in the kitchen to make memories, use the time to connect with busy kids, chat over mixing bowls, get messy, laugh, sing, set the table, clear the table, pass the salt, debate the days topics and pray. You can follow her here as a weekly contributor to 365Barrington and Heinen’s as well as via Table and Dish on Instagram and on her website at TableAndDish.com.
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