dips, spreads & condiments
THICK GUACAMOLE
Avocados at their prime? This is the guac for you. Resist the temptation to overseason, and let the avocado’s own flavor shine. Instead of chips, try serving with cucumber slices.
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP GUACAMOLE
1 avocado
1 to 2 teaspoons seeded and minced serrano pepper
½ teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Pinch of lime zest
• In a medium bowl, put all of the ingredients. Mash the ingredients with the back of a spoon until just combined and the avocado is well mashed with some chunks, and serve immediately.
THIN GUACAMOLE
In Oaxaca guacamole is traditionally a thinner sauce, perfect for drizzling on carne asada or your favorite tacos. It’s also delicious on chips.
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP GUACAMOLE
1 avocado, fresh or frozen and defrosted (see this page)
½ medium jalapeño, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
½ teaspoon crushed garlic
¼ to ½ cup water
Sea salt
• In the bowl of a food processor, place the avocado, jalapeño, lime juice and zest, and garlic. Pulse once or twice to combine. Add ¼ cup of the water, and continue to pulse until smooth. Add a bit more water, if needed, to keep the blades moving. When the guacamole is smooth, add salt to taste. Serve immediately or cover well and refrigerate; this guacamole keeps reasonably well in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
CREAMY GUACAMOLE
Just a little ricotta blended into this guac makes it unbelievably creamy and perfect for spreading onto your favorite bagel or toast.
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP GUACAMOLE
1 fresh avocado
2 tablespoons ricotta
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
½ teaspoon lime zest
½ teaspoon sea salt
• In a medium bowl, put all of the ingredients. Mash the ingredients with the back of a spoon until just combined, and serve immediately or cover well and refrigerate for up to a couple of hours.
SPICY GUACAMOLE
Like it hot? This one is smokin’. Need more heat? Substitute a habanero for the jalapeño.
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP GUACAMOLE
1 fresh avocado
1 jalapeño, chopped
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pinch of smoked hot paprika
• In a medium bowl, put the avocado, jalapeño, lime juice and zest, salt, and cayenne pepper. Mash the ingredients with the back of a spoon until just combined, garnish with the paprika, and serve immediately.
CHUNKY GUACAMOLE
Want a little more going on in your guacamole? This Tex-Mex version blends traditional thick guacamole with pico de gallo for a hearty chip topping. It’s great for nachos! Be sure to remove the seeds from the tomato and cucumber, or your guac may get watery.
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
½ small Roma tomato, seeded and finely diced
½ jalapeño, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons peeled, seeded, and finely diced cucumber
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 fresh avocado, diced
• In a small bowl of cold water, put the onion, and set it aside for at least 10 minutes. Drain well, and then place the onion in a separate medium bowl.
• Add the tomato, jalapeño, cilantro, cucumber, lime juice and zest, and salt to the bowl. Mix well. Stir in the avocado, folding to incorporate but leaving the avocado cubes mostly intact, and serve immediately or cover well and refrigerate for up to an hour.
AVOCADO MAYO
Make your own egg-free avocado mayo to use in any recipes requiring mayonnaise (if you aren’t just using mashed avocado in place of the mayo already!).
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP MAYO
1 cup avocado, fresh or frozen and defrosted (see this page)
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
⅓ cup avocado oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• In the bowl of a food processor, put the avocado, lemon juice, and mustard and pulse to combine. With the motor running, stream in the oil, stopping to scrape down the sides occasionally. The mixture will thicken and become lighter and creamy. Add the salt and pepper to taste.
• You can store the mayo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. The color may change a little, but the flavor should still be great.
TIP: Add 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar to make the mayo more like Japanese Kewpie mayo, and mix with sriracha for a great spicy vegan mayo!
TIP: Make avocado aioli by adding ½ teaspoon crushed garlic to the mixture.
AVOCADO PICKLES
Here’s a great use for your not-quite-ripe avocados. Pickling avocados softens them and makes them a perfect sandwich topping, like for the Cubano Sandwich.
MAKES 1 PINT PICKLES
½ cup distilled white or cider vinegar
½ cup water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon whole yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
1 medium chile de árbol (optional)
1 or 2 very firm avocados, sliced
• In a medium nonreactive pot, whisk together the vinegar, water, salt, mustard seeds, sugar, peppercorns, and chile de árbol. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve, then let it cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
• In a 1-pint jar, place the avocado slices, and top them with the cooled brine. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 month.
AVOCADO CHUTNEY
I’m a sucker for sweet-and-sour dishes, so I want to spread this chutney on everything, like the Lamb Chop with Avocado Chutney and Spinach Avocado Phyllo Rolls. It also makes a great coleslaw dressing.
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP CHUTNEY
¼ small red onion, chopped
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon crystallized ginger, chopped
¼ teaspoon whole yellow or brown mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
½ cup finely diced avocado
• In a small skillet over medium-low heat, put the onion, raisins, sugar, vinegar, ginger, mustard seeds, and chili flakes. Cook, stirring, just until the sugar melts, about 5 minutes. Move the mixture to the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until just blended but still a little chunky. Fold in the avocado.
• Store the chutney in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
AVOCADO KIMCHI
Be sure to use Korean chili flakes for this recipe, not the red pepper flakes you might sprinkle on a pizza. Korean chili flakes (gochugaru) don’t have seeds and are less spicy. If you can’t find green mango or green papaya, try substituting daikon or jicama.
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS KIMCHI
1 firm avocado, sliced into thick matchsticks
1 medium green mango or green papaya, sliced into thick matchsticks
2 green onions, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons Korean chili flakes
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon sugar
• In a large bowl, put the avocado, mango, and onion, sprinkle it with the salt, and set aside.
• In a small bowl, mix the garlic, vinegar, chili flakes, ginger, oil, sesame seeds, and sugar to make a paste. Add the chili paste to the avocado mixture, and stir to coat.
• In a 1-pint jar, place the mixture, covered, and refrigerate it overnight. The kimchi will keep for up to 2 weeks, and the flavor will continue to improve over time.
AVOCADO GREEN GODDESS DRESSING
Adding fresh avocado means you can use less oil and still have a perfectly luscious dressing. Be sure to use just the leaves from the herbs, or strain it after blending. Use this dressing in slaw, on spring greens, or on veggies, like the Avocado and Artichokes.
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP DRESSING
¾ cup smashed avocado, fresh or frozen and defrosted (see this page)
¼ to ¾ cup water
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
¼ cup fresh mint
¼ cup fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil
6 anchovy fillets (optional)
1 small shallot, peeled and quartered
½ clove garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• In the bowl of a food processor, put the avocado, ¼ cup of the water, lemon juice, mint, tarragon, basil, chives, parsley, lemon zest, oil, anchovy, shallot, and garlic and puree until smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor as needed. Add the remaining ½ cup water if needed to get a more pourable consistency.
• Season the dressing with the salt and pepper to taste.
• For a smoother, more restaurant-quality version, strain the dressing with a fine-mesh strainer. For a more rustic texture, leave it unstrained.
• Serve immediately, or store the dressing in a jar, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
AVOCADO RANCH DRESSING
I like recipes that don’t use up half of my kitchen equipment. This avocadolicious take on ranch dressing just takes a spoon, a knife, and a jar. Dump everything in and shake. Dressing done.
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP DRESSING
1 mashed avocado
½ cup buttermilk
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon finely chopped chives
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• In a 1-pint mason jar, put the avocado. Add the buttermilk, garlic, chives, dill, mustard, lemon zest, and vinegar. Shake the jar until the dressing looks smooth, creamy, and green. Open the jar, and season the dressing with the salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve immediately, or store the jar, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
AVOCADO POPPY-SEED DRESSING
This poppy-seed dressing breathes life into just about any salad or slaw. Try it mixed into a slaw of shredded cabbage, kale, apple, and raw sweet potato matchsticks. Yum!
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP DRESSING
¼ cup white wine or cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 small shallot
2 tablespoons avocado
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground mustard
¼ cup avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil
• In the bowl of a food processor, put the vinegar and sugar. Using a microplane or the smallest holes on a box grater, grate the shallot into the bowl. Add the poppy seeds, salt, avocado, and mustard. Pulse, scraping down the sides as needed, until well combined. With the food processor on, stream in the oil and pulse until combined.
• Store the dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
AVOCADO COMPOUND BUTTER
Spread this butter on your toast, dollop it on a baked sweet potato, or smear it on a juicy grilled steak (see this page). This easy-to-make compound butter keeps exceptionally well and is a great use for any little leftover bits of avocado.
MAKES ½ CUP BUTTER
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup avocado, fresh or frozen and defrosted (see this page)
½ teaspoon lime zest
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of ground avocado leaf (optional)
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse all of the ingredients until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Store the butter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
AVOCADO LEAF SALT
Avocado leaf imparts a subtle anise flavor to this salt, which makes it a nice upgrade to traditional salt-rimmed cocktails and a great finishing salt on any grilled meats or veggies.
MAKES ¼ CUP SALT
¼ cup coarse salt
3 to 4 avocado leaves, stemmed
• In a spice grinder, grind the salt with the avocado leaves. Grind as finely as possible, and then use a fine-mesh strainer to filter out any remaining large bits of avocado leaf. Store the salt in an airtight container for up to several months.
