Happy Fourth of July guys!

Did you realize July Fourth falls on Taco Tuesday this year?

To me this means we get to celebrate our Independence with a little bit of guacamole, blue and white corn chips, and red salsa.

Who’s with me?! 🙂

COME ON… tell me who doesn’t love a little bit of Mexican food on our special American holiday?

LOL, I know I do!!

I’ll take Mexican day in and day out.

Ready for the freshest, best tasting guacamole ever?!!!

You all know it’s my very favorite so of course I’ve spent hours and hours perfecting my recipe! I’ve even made Anton work at it.

Yep, I’ve micromanaged a few of his guacamole making sessions.

LOL.

And this past Sunday (with the 4th of July in mind) I think we got it exactly right.

So you’ve all heard about the basic ingredients, right? Lime, salt, pepper, avocado, tomato, onion and maybe some jalapeño and garlic?

Well let me be more specific. It’s all about quantity and quality. Go ORGANIC whenever you can. I love the farmer’s market or fresh fruit stands, their veggies and fruits are always the best.

When buying tomatoes, always choose a firm one. Stay away from heirlooms because they can be too watery and juicy. Romas are the best in my opinion. And you only need a small one or a half of one. Guac doesn’t need much tomato. Finely chop the tomato into small, firm pieces for sure.

I prefer red onions, the smaller the better because they’re a little sweet too. I think the lime goes great with a strong onion and reds are the strongest in my opinion.

Don’t be afraid to use LOTS of cilantro. I like to eat the stems so I’m really reaping all of cilantro’s many health benefits. But if you don’t like the texture, take your time and pluck all the leaves off every stem. (Time consuming much but it’s up to you!)

Pick two of the juiciest limes you can find! Stay away from firm ones, go for the slightly soft- these always yield more juice if you ask me. And don’t be afraid to use TWO LIMES! I talk to so many people who love the fresh lime taste, you can’t go wrong with a little extra.

Pink himalayan sea salt and pepper totally add flavor. I like an extra pinch of salt when I’m working out a lot. Let your taste buds be the judge and add this last so you can keep adding as needed.

I usually use two large Haas avocados but you can also use 4 smaller ones. Find some that are soft but not too soft because they get brown and mushy fast.

I stay away from garlic because I want to taste the lime, sea salt and cilantro. I’ll leave that one up to you. 🙂 If you’re on a date, I’d steer clear haha.

As for jalapeños, I LOVE SPICY! But my significant other does not 🙁 . So we usually compromise and buy anaheim peppers and finely chop them. Of course I always chop myself a side of spicy jalapeños and put them in half an avocado shell so I can gorge myself on them as I scoop up my guac. The spicier the better!

So what ingredient have I not mentioned that you may or may not know about?

ORANGES!

Yes, add a tiny bit of orange for flavor. You won’t regret it! I take one or two pieces of an orange and squeeze over the guacamole to complete the recipe. This gives the guac such a fresh, unique flavor.

And if you’re really picky like we are, use a fork to mix your guacamole. Never use a masher otherwise the guac becomes too creamy and BLAH! Finely mix and go through the avocados with a fork… this way you’ll still be eating pretty, fresh veggies without the mix becoming too chunky!

Here’s the entire recipe:

2 large avocados (or four smaller ones)

1 small red onion (finely chopped)

1 bunch cilantro (finely chopped)

2 juicy limes

2 pieces of orange

1 pepper (anaheim or jalapeño)

1 roma tomato (finely chopped)

Cracked black pepper (at your discretion)

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt (at your discretion)

SERVE AND DEVOUR!

Don’t forget… avocados are super healthy for you so don’t feel guilty about splurging! Grab some bell peppers or cucumbers to scoop it up with instead of chips if you’re feeling the need to go uber healthy!

xx Shanna