This bacon guacamole recipe combines your two favorite foods for a treat you won’t be able to put down.

Guacamole is a no-brainer at the appetizer table. But before you whip up the traditional recipe and call it a day, remind yourself of bacon. Yes, avocado and guacamole have a few things in common. Besides both being individually delicious, they also pair fabulously together. In this bacon guacamole recipe, the two fatty, smoky favorites remind you that sometimes the most unlikeliest of combinations are those liked the most.

There is a lot going on in this recipe – it’s crunchy, cool, smoky, creamy, zesty, and sweet all at once. While it is easy on the eyes and taste buds, it is not vegan-friendly, so if you are expecting a vegetarian guest, be sure to make a batch of this guacamole recipe without the bacon. Or, if you’re feeling experimental, try your hand at vegan bacon. (Yes, it does exist!).

If you aren’t a fan of cilantro, swap it with parsley. Meanwhile, if you are looking to minimize the fat calories in this recipe, you can replace 1 avocado with 1/2 cup of pureed cooked peas. Enjoy!

Bacon Guacamole Recipe

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 5 strip of bacon, fried, cooled, and chopped
• 3 medium avocados, halved and pitted
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 jalapeno, de-stemmed, de-seeded, and diced
• 1 Roma tomato, cored, seeded, and diced
• 1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
• Juice of 2 limes
• Salt to taste

Directions

Place the avocado flesh in a bowl. Add the bacon, saving a few pieces for garnish. Add the remaining ingredients and use the flat edge of a fork to mash and fold all the ingredients together. Once well combined and chunky, transfer the guacamole to a serving dish and garnish with the remaining bacon pieces. Serve with tortilla chips, vegetable crudités, or collard green leaves (for wrapping and rolling). You can even stuff them in hard boiled egg white halves for unique presentation.

Related on EcoSalon
7 Delicious New Guacamole Recipes
The Avocado Hummus Recipe You Didn’t Know You Needed
15 Unusual Uses for the Avocado

Bacon Guacamole Deviled Eggs Image from Shutterstock

The post Bacon Guacamole Recipe: Where Dreams Become Reality appeared first on EcoSalon.

The mighty avocado lends itself to lovely variations of the traditional guacamole recipe.

Guacamole in its simplest form is delicious enough, but it never hurts to explore new, creative options that will wow a crowd and take a party platter to the next level. Add these seven guacamole recipes to your arsenal and you’ll never get bored.

1. Hearty Greek Guacamole

Add more texture and surprise to each bite by bringing some Mediterranean flavors to your guacamole. This Greek guacamole does just that with feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and fresh marjoram.

Ingredients

• 1 large ripe avocado, chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cucumber, diced
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 6 kalamata olive, pitted and chopped
• 1 ounce feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh marjoram

Directions

Fold all ingredients together until evenly combined.

2. Sweet Mint Guacamole

Guacamole is a naturally rich dip, but with the lightness of honey and the refreshing aromas of fresh mint, this recipe makes guacamole a palette cleanser of types. It’s a filling way to feel energized.

Ingredients

• 1 large ripe avocado, mashed
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1.5 teaspoons honey
• Handful of cilantro, chopped
• Sea salt to taste

Directions

Fold all ingredients together until evenly combined or mix until smooth in a food processor.

3. Detox Kale Guacamole

If you’re anything like me, I can eat guacamole by the spoon — no dipping fodder necessary! However, as healthy as the avocado’s fats are, too much of a good thing can be…too much. Because of this, I’ve turned to mixing greens in my guacamole in order to reduce the concentration of fat per bite and to boost the nutrition of the entire recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 large ripe avocado
• 4 stalks of kale
• Juice of half a lemon
• Juice of half a lime
• Handful of fresh parsley or cilantro
• 1 garlic clove
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• Dash of red pepper
• 1/2 small red onion

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a food processor until evenly combined. Add up to 1/2 cup water to smooth out the consistency.

4. Spicy Pomegranate Guacamole

Add a sweet touch and a colorful flair with the addition of pomegranate seeds to your guacamole. Pomegranates also bring extra antioxidants to the table and balance the spiciness of the pepper.

Ingredients

• 1 large ripe avocado, mashed
• 1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 serrano chile, minced
• Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• Sea salt to taste
• 1/4-1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds

Directions

Fold all ingredients together until evenly combined.

5. Tropical Mango Guacamole

Welcome a taste of the tropics in your kitchen with this mango guacamole. The mango holds its own up to the dense texture of the avocado but actually lightens the dip with its sweet taste.

Ingredients

• 1/2 mango, skinned and chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 large ripe avocado, chopped
• Handful of cilantro, chopped
• Juice of half a lime
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion (about half a small one)

Directions

Toss all ingredients in a food processor until evenly combined.

6. Indian Twist Guacamole

By now guacamole has become such a popular dip that there is no need for a Mexican-themed occasion in order to serve it. However, it’s not something you necessarily whip up for a gathering with an Indian theme — until now, that is. This guacamole variation adds but two spices in order to turn a simple guac into the newest hot-shot appetizer reminiscent of India.

Ingredients

• 1 large ripe avocado, mashed
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 1 large garlic clove, finely diced
• 1/2 teaspoon Indian curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Fold all ingredients together until evenly combined.

7. Guacamole Hummus

This recipes brings two party spread mainstays together. And, why not? Their flavors balance each other well and they taste even better together!

Ingredients

• 1 large ripe avocado
• 1 can (or 15.5 ounces cooked) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 garlic clove
• Handful of fresh parsley or cilantro
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Place the avocado, chickpeas, garlic and cilantro into a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add the olive oil while the food processor is still running. Lastly, add the lemon and salt and pepper and pulse a few times before serving.

Photo Credit: GlowKitchen, Yous A Machine

The post 7 Delicious New Guacamole Recipes appeared first on EcoSalon.

Tomatillos are often overlooked. These wonderful, green “Mexican tomatoes” are very easy to make into a versatile sauce. Use tomatillo sauce to enhance guacamole, or serve on steaks, rice, grilled plantains, tacos, omelets or scrambled eggs.

Tomatillos are in season now, so it’s green salsa time! When selecting tomatillos, look at the husks to make sure that they’re fresh. The husks should be firmly attached and green to light brown in color – fresh looking, not dried or shriveled. The fruit should be green, shiny and firm.

Making sauce with tomatillos is ludicrously simple using the boiling method. Remove the husks and wash the fruit. Slice into quarters, and place in a saucepan with a small amount of water for steaming – they do not need to be fully submerged in water. Cover and steam for five to seven minutes or until softened and breaking apart. Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth (optional). Season with salt and pepper, and serve!

To add complexity to the sauce, use chicken or vegetable stock instead of water. To spice up the flavoring, add minced jalapenos and garlic, sautéed onions or cilantro and lime juice. Try this version from Epicurious.

Boiling the tomatillos is easiest, but roasting them adds a depth of flavor. Here’s a great looking, quick recipe from the Burp! Recipe Collection.

If you’re grilling, this Secrets of Salsa: Five Green Salsa with Garlic and Lime Recipe looks amazing.

By the way, you can store tomatillos in the refrigerator for about two weeks in a brown bag or remove the husks and place them in sealed plastic bags to last a little longer. Better yet, cook them immediately!

Please share other tomatillo tips and recipes if you have them!

Image: La Grande Farmers’ Markets

The post All About Tomatillos, and Making a Mean Green Salsa appeared first on EcoSalon.

My best friend got the holiday bonus gift she dreamed of from her dentist employer this year: A new food processor. It replaces the worn out one that came with her husband when she got married 20 years ago.

Susan is a great cook, but so much of what she grinds in her processor is better done without electricity.

Enter the mortar and pestle, said to date back 5,000 years when hungry people figured out grain could be separated from chaff to procure digestible food. It has since been used by apothecaries to grind medicines and by foodies everywhere to pulverize grains and herbs to fully release the oils and flavors of a substance.

The logic: The rough surface of the interior takes hold of what we need to crack and crush, allowing us the traction for the pestle to do its job of amalgamating ingredients, reducing herbs and spices, defoliating stems and turning nuts to powders and pastes.

“If you enjoy cooking, using a mortar and pestle will simply be part of your craft of food preparation, but if you just need to get the job done, reach for the food processor, ” says Gourmet Sleuth, which opines that marble is the best choice for a versatile mortar and pestle. That’s because marble won’t absorb odors from garlic and other foods and is a hard surface for grinding, as well as easy to clean and maintain.

Are you ready for more hands-on food prep? Do you want to appear as if you are well equipped in the kitchen? Either way, here are some bowls and bats (including modern renditions) you can score for your own kitchen:

The Swiss designed Kuhn Rikon Eco Mortar & Pestle is made of bamboo with a porcelain bowl. It features a teardrop shaped porcelain hole, a modern approach to an age-old staple. $50.

This classic and affordable white marble Mortar and Pestle has a smooth shape with a contemporary clean style. It holds about 6 ounces. $14 at Olive Barn.

Le Creuset Stoneware Mortar and Pestle in Caribbean Blue (comes in other delicious shades, as well) has an unglazed interior and pestle tip to create the perfect surface for efficiency. The virtually non-porous stoneware is fired at 2156 degrees F, giving it unmatched strength and durability, making it resistant to chipping, cracking and staining. The enameled surface makes it easy to clean and resists scratching. Capacity: 20 ounces. $38.

Carved out of natural volcanic stone, The RSVP Authentic Mexican Molcajete from Chef Tools is the traditional Mexican version of a mortar and tejolote, or pestle is also included. This is the tool of choice for authentic moles, salsas and fresh guacamole. Includes a booklet with steps to cure and clean your molcajete as well as recipes for authentic guacamole and salsa. The molcajete is 5″ tall and the tejolote is 4.5″ long. $57.

Helen Chen’s Asian Kitchen 4″ Bamboo Mortar and Pestle works well because of the straight-up bowl and wide pestle designed for quick, efficient grinding. Bamboo is less absorbent than wood and therefore easier to keep clean and sanitary. Dimensions: 4″ tall. $13 at Chef Tools.

Main Image: Chef Tools

The post Got Mortar? Along with the Pestle It Makes the Kitchen Grind Greener appeared first on EcoSalon.