So it's been almost a month since my last post. Time flies when you're (or I'm) having fun. We had a great time at the world's best vacation destination in Mexico -- I don't like to publish the name of the resort cuz I don't want everybody and their momma going there and keeping me from getting a room the next time we wanna go. But if you really want the deets, send me an email. And we finally made it to Charlotte near the end of April. We finished unpacking a few days ago, took a quick trip to Florida for my cousin's beautiful wedding, and we start our new jobs tomorrow. Fun times all around.
Anyway, I've done little to no cooking in the last 6 weeks, but I did take a fun cooking class at the resort in Mexico. On the menu: guacamole! And I can't believe that was the first time I've made it myself. When you think of a healthy appetizer, guacamole isn't exactly the first thing that comes to mind. But since one average-sized avocado has a little over 300 calories, if you make the guac as described below, pair it with some fat free tortilla chips, and share it with a few friends (i.e. don't eat the entire bowl yourself), you can enjoy this tasty appetizer for between 100-200 calories per person. Yes, avocados are high in fat. But it's considered "good" (monounsaturated) fat, which can help your arteries and improve the ratio of HDL to LDL cholesterol. I'm not sayin' you should start downing avocados every day. But everyone needs a little bit of fat in their diet, and you're better off getting it from an avocado than from a Big Mac.
Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow so this should come in handy for your Mexican fiesta. (Also, click here for my shrimp enchilada casserole recipe from Cinco de Mayo last year.)
Guacamole
1 avocado
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small bunch of cilantro (see what I used in the picture above)
2 tbsp. fat free sour cream
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
Mash the avocado with a fork, then stir in the remaining ingredients (taste before serving to determine the appropriate amount of S&P). I recommend serving with something like Tostitos Light tortilla chips.
Me with the finished product!
Slightly off topic, but check out this massive pot of paella (below). As I mentioned earlier, my cousin got married in Florida last weekend. For the rehearsal dinner, her husband's parents threw a festive party with "The Paella Man" as the chef. Seriously, this guy from Spain who lives in their area came to their house with the biggest paella pan I've ever seen and made it while the guests looked on. Fun to watch, even more fun to eat.
Yeah! Glad our wedding made it on your website.
Posted by: | May 06, 2008 at 05:50 PM