A Healthy Snack

I was born and raised in California where avocado trees grow like weeds. Growing up, I had two avocado trees in my backyard, and I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't eat avocados nearly as much as I should have. As an adult, I came to love the creamy texture of this wonderful fruit; I mean it's avocado for goodness sakes; it's the gold of all fruit. Now that I've come to the light, I use avocados to make so many things, from creamy salad dressings, to smoothies, avocados show up on my menu at least once a week.

Avocados are much more than meets the eye; they're packed with fiber, poly and monounsaturated fats which contribute to heart health, potassium, protein, vitamin C, and vitamin B-6. For your health's sake, the next time you're in the produce section, pick up a few to add to a salad, make guacamole, or just eat them right out of the skin; sprinkle them with a bit of fresh lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Speaking of guacamole, I thougt I'd share my world famous recipe; okay, okay, so it isn't world famous...YET, but after you share this with all of your friends, and they share it with all of THEIR friends, my statement will be true :). I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. Every time I make this for a party it's literally gone in a matter of minutes. Here's to great food and better health...

Dee's World Famous Guacamole

Ingredients

4 avocado, peeled, seeded, and diced

2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1/2 small red onion, diced juice from two medium limes

1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

1 medium jalapeño, diced 1 clove garlic, minced (optional) salt to taste

Directions

Add diced avocado, tomato, and onions, peppers, cilantro, and lime juice to a large mixing bowl and toss to coat. Add salt to taste and serve chilled with chips, or as a condiment to a main dish.