3 Ways To Prepare A Healthy Guacamole

Guacamole is an interesting sauce that we can take as a complement to some products that are taken cold and whose preparation admits different variations

Guacamole is a typical Mexican food that has become universal. Its base is avocado, a fruit with a very characteristic flavor and creamy texture. We propose three ways to prepare healthy guacamole, with ingredients that preserve their healthy and natural character.

Guacamole history

The name of this Mexican dish of pre-Hispanic origin comes from the Nahuatl Ahuacamolli , which means avocado mixture. Throughout history , different ingredients were incorporated until it became what it is today.

This preparation is an important part of many dishes of Mexican cuisine and has spread throughout the world due to its delicious flavor.

A healthy guacamole: how to do it

For guacamole to be healthy, the key is in the ingredients. In this sense, there are errors in its preparation that could turn it into a food that is harmful to health.

Some of those errors are:

• Using unhealthy oils in excess. When preparing guacamole, health benefits such as olive, canola (rapeseed) or sunflower oils should be used. Avocado, its main ingredient, has an important fat component, so it is not necessary to add a lot of processed oil to the dish.
• Too much salt. It is already known how harmful excessive sodium consumption is for cardiovascular health. Among other consequences, it also stimulates inflammatory processes and fluid retention.
• Add processed seasonings. It should be ensured that all the ingredients in its preparation are natural, since commercial ones contain unwanted additives and preservatives.

There are two ways to prepare the guacamole, according to our preferences: adding the finely chopped or processed ingredients in the blender.

1. Original guacamole

Here’s the traditional guacamole recipe. To make it a healthy food, we must rule out the use of saturated oils, excess salt, and processed seasonings. It is designed for ten people. 

Ingredients

• 1 large tomato
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1 medium onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons of fresh coriander (30 g)
• The juice of a lime
• Corn or sunflower oil
• Salt

Preparation

1. Blanch, peel and chop the tomato into very small pieces.
2. Finely chop the onion and red pepper.
3. Chop the coriander leaves finely, discarding the stems.
4. Cut the avocados in half, remove the pulp and pour it into a bowl. Mash them with a fork.
5. On the avocado, add the onion, pepper and tomato and mix well. Finally, add the coriander, lime juice, oil and salt.
6. Stored in the refrigerator it can be kept for five days.

2. Protein cheese guacamole

Here is another recipe for a healthy guacamole. A good option is to incorporate some protein in the preparation ; in this case cheese is included, in this way a more satiating dish is obtained. This preparation is enough for about four people. 

Ingredients

• 1 medium avocado
• 1 cup of shredded low-fat cheese (for example, ricotta) (150 g)
• The juice of ½ lemon
• 2 garlic cloves, mashed
• 1 medium onion
• 1 green pepper
• 3 tablespoons of coriander (45 g)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Remove the pulp from the avocado and cut it. Sprinkle it with lemon so that it does not darken.
2. Finely chop the onion, bell pepper and coriander.
3. Put all the ingredients in the blender and process until obtaining a homogeneous cream.
4. Serve as a cold dip, accompanied by crunchy vegetables or diet crackers. It is an ideal option for a bite between meals, as an aperitif or a starter.

3. Guacamole with salmon

With this recipe we will obtain a very healthy guacamole, due to the inclusion of salmon, a fish with a high content of essential fatty acids.

Ingredients

• 2 medium avocados
• 170 g of smoked salmon
• 2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt (40 g)
• ½ red onion finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons of coriander finely chopped (20 g)
• 1 teaspoon of cumin (5 g)
• 1 ½ tablespoons of mustard (20 g)
• The juice of 1 lime
• The juice of 1 lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste)

Preparation

1. Cut the avocados in half and remove the pulp. In a bowl, mash it with a fork and sprinkle it with a few drops of lemon to prevent it from oxidizing and turning dark.
2. Cut the salmon as small as possible.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the avocado, stir and keep covered for an hour so that all the flavors are well integrated.