Hey Party-Makers,

I remember reading years and years ago in an old Reader’s Digest that your tastebuds change every 7 years. I’ve held onto that tid bit for a while and tend to try foods I hate every once in a while to check on its validity (although I think beets will hold a life-long ban on my tastebuds). One of the times I’ve been pleasantly surprised was when I was 15, and I tried avocados and liked them for the first time.

Ever since then, I’ve been in a steady love affair with dishes that come with guac. I’ve also been working on my avocado roses, and praising the heavens for avocado toast being a trendy breakfast these days.

However, with my acquired taste for avocados, I’ve also developed an acquired distaste for avocados that are used for sub-par guac. To me, there are few things more disappointing than paying extra for something, just to have it be mediocre. I mean, avocados are already expensive when they’re out of season, and maybe I’m a little entitled, but shouldn’t that mean that they’re dressed up to taste amazing? I can’t be the only one who thinks this.

As we’ve been talking about a colorful Thanksgiving this year, I’ve been trying to figure out where to post my Guac recipe. Mostly because when I think of Thanksgiving I don’t necessarily think of Guac immediately afterwards. But then, as I thought about it and did a little research it started to become more clear to me that Guac should have space at Thanksgiving to shine.

Here are my reasons:

1. Football. If you had asked me 5 years ago what the tie between football and Thanksgiving was, I would have just shrugged and said I don’t know. But, but, but. I married into a family where at any given point in time ANY sport could be playing on the TV, and everyone would know how the game is scored, the rules of the game, and some random trivia about famous players. So it’s no surprise that Thanksgiving is a time for NFL football to be on the TV in the hours before and after feasting. Enter Guac. Guacamole is a beautiful thing. You can just continue dipping your tortilla chips into it over and over again and it doesn’t get old. It’s just a step above salsa, and that makes it a slightly fancier dip. And I’m of the opinion that Thanksgiving food should be just a little bit fancy.
2. It’s good for your gut. Did you know that 1 avocado contains 54% of your daily fiber intake? And really think about this one here. On Thanksgiving, we tend to gorge and overdose on delicious food. And sometimes that delicious food falls very short of getting us all the adequate nutrition for our bodies to be able to digest it properly. BUT, if you make some guac and dip into it a little before your full dinner, you’re priming your tummy with nutrients that will help it process your food smoother. WIN-WIN, people.
3. Think of the leftovers. In my family, we intentionally buy a huge turkey so that we can have all the delicious leftovers the day afterwards. One of the recipes we’ll be posting next week will be Turkey Taquitos, a special favorite in our house. Now think of Turkey Taquitos WITH GUAC. I seriously hope I don’t have to say more about this.

the secret ingredient

Let me welcome you in to one of my favorite Guatemalan cuisine secrets: we put oregano in our Guacamole. Here’s why, avocado as a whole is a pretty soothing and smooth food. It’s used a lot by musicians when their vocal chords are strained. And that soothing texture of avocados, well, if it isn’t spiced up in a guacamole, it can be really bland. And kind of taste like baby food (and not the good kind, like fruit medley. Think Pea Soup or something equally disgusting). Enter oregano.

When I think of oregano, I think of a sassy diva. Oregano likes to take center stage in your palette a lot of times, and if it isn’t used appropriately it can take over the flavors of your dish. But used with restraint, it adds a really great vibrancy to dishes. Our guacamole is one of those dishes.

Another thing to note: be generous with your lime and salt. Seriously people. These two beauties amplify the taste of guacamole. Stop being shy with them. Stop sabotaging yourself from good guacamole. If everyone listened to these little tips, we might all be chomping at the bit to pay a little extra for our guacamole. Until that day, I’ll keep skipping it and making it at home later.

I hope you feel sufficiently enabled to dive into your guac obsession this Thanksgiving. And if anyone looks at you weird, send them my way. I’m sure we can talk them into this together.

Love, love, love,

Guatemalan Guacamole

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 4 Avocados mashed
• 2 Roma Tomatoes diced
• 1/2 Onion diced
• 1/2 Tsp Oregano
• 2 TBS Lime Juice
• 1.5 Tsp Salt
• Cilantro *optional

Instructions

 

• Mash up your avocados and dice tomatoes and onions. Combine all ingredients. Taste and adjust salt and lime as needed. Enjoy!
  

Mary-Beth Johnson

Mary-Beth is a creative, food-obsessed, Georgia transplant living Chicago. She is proudly and fiercely Latina, and more specifically Chapina. In her day to day she is a food educator to students around Chicagoland aged 3 to 80+, both virtually and in-person. She is passionate about cultivating the truth that every person has an understanding of food that deserves being brought to the table, and that time in the kitchen can be sacred, passionate, and an act of love for self and others. Outside the kitchen you can find her at the intersections of infertility, chronic illness, and a deep love for the dignity of all humans. She hopes to create a space that is holistic about the role of food in the social, political, relational, and physiological dynamics of our world.