Guac + Pico = Better Have Enough Chips

How can I possibly separate these into two posts? You can hardly have one without the other. Actually I prefer to think of them, along with sour cream, as the Three Amigos. But because I don't have a recipe for sour cream (nor do I care to make my own), we'll have just two recipes today.

Fresh Guacamole
an original recipe by Natalie

2 large avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced up a bit
juice from 1 lime
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp chopped fresh garlic
2-3 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 T sour cream
2-3 pinches of ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Put avocados into a small bowl and immediately squirt lime juice over the top. (Do this especially if you still need to chop some things. It'll prevent the avocados from browning.) Add onion, garlic, cilantro, sour cream and cumin to the bowl. Start off with a pinch of salt and pepper, then using a fork, mash everything together. Taste and adjust seasonings to your taste. (Steve always wants more lime.)

If you don't eat it all in one sitting (ahem... like us), take a piece of plastic wrap and press it on to the surface of the guac before putting the lid on your container. This will prevent it from browning too quickly.

Pico de Gallo

4-5 Roma/plum tomatoes, diced
1/2 c. diced red onion (or white or yellow)
1 small jalapeno, diced
juice from 1 lime
1/2 tsp chopped fresh garlic
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all into a small bowl and stir. Adjust seasonings to your taste. Cover and chill for 30 minutes before serving for best flavor.

Nat's Notes:
1. Preparing the jalapeno can be a pivotal time in the pico preparation as it will determine how hot it will be. If you want it totally mild, remove all seeds and whitish veins in the pepper. (For this next explanation to make sense, I'm assuming you cut the pepper going the long way.) For a little kick, remove all insides of half the pepper and about half of the other side. For a lot of kick, just remove the insides of one half. (I made it like this the other night and it was too spicy for me.) To burn all your tastebuds off, leave all of it in.

2. You might want to wear rubber gloves or make sure you don't get jalapeno juice around your fingernails. Oh, and don't run upstairs and put your contacts in right after you cut one up. Even if you scrubbed your hands three times, it'll still feel like your eyeballs are burning out of your head. Please don't ask me why I know this.

Print Recipe Text Only (Both Recipes)

And if you feel adventurous (and have the patience), try making your own tortilla chips! (Recipe Here)