I don’t talk about it often, but I’m biracial. My mother is Latina & my dad is Caucasian. I grew up embracing both sides of who I am. I always knew I was “mixed,” it never bothered me & I never felt the need to identify with one ethnicity more than the other. I believed, growing up, that I had the best of both worlds. I had Aunts & Uncles, and Tias & Tios. I had a Geat Grandmother & an Abuela. I grew up eating black eyed peas, chicken and dumplings, tamales and chalupas! It was fantastic! Now that I am a Mommy, and raising a multicultural family, (my husband is African American); I want to make sure my children learn about their Mexican heritage. One way I accomplish this, is through the foods we eat.
I love Mexican food- I could literally eat it every day! One of the staples of Mexican cooking is avocados. I prefer to buy Avocados from Mexico, whenever they are available. The world’s first avocado was grown in Mexico. Did you know that?! The fertile volcanic soil, and excellent climate make for great growing conditions. Not only do avocados taste good, but they are heart-healthy and low in carbs. They are also full of vitamins and minerals. I like eating avocados as is, with a little salt sprinkled on top. Just peel it and slice it up …yum! I also add them to smoothies for a healthy treat. There are so many ways to use the avocado, and celebrity Chef Pepin and the Posadas recipe page have tons of ideas for you. One of my favorite things to make with avocados has got to be Guacamole!
I have loved guacamole since I was a child. Back in the day, my mom liked to pay her bills in person. We’d drive downtown, (I grew up in Southern Texas), and she’d stop off at the department store (Joske’s) and pay her bill. When all the bills were paid, we’d head to our favorite downtown restaurant… Mexican Manhattan. I’d always order the same item off the menu: Guacamole Rolled Soft Tacos. They never disappointed! The waitress would bring out a plate with two huge tacos on it, those bad boys were bulging at the seams! There was so much guacamole in each one, that I would open them each up, and spoon some of the guacamole out of them and make at least 2 more tacos! (Thank goodness for the extra tortillas they would always bring us with our meals!). This wasn’t your normal guacamole… there were no tomatoes, no chunks of onion… just avocado and what appeared to be cream cheese. It was delicious! I will never forget those late lunches, at Mexican Manhattan, with my mom.
Whenever a holiday approaches, I think about what I can serve my family that represents my Latina side. More often than not, I choose guacamole. I make it the way Mexican Manhattan did, no tomatoes, no chunks of onion. I have had many people compliment me on my guacamole and ask me to bring it to parties and pot-lucks. The recipe is very simple and I would love to share it with you!
Guacamole Mommy Powers Style!
4 Avocados
1 8oz pkg cream cheese (softened)
1 lemon
onion powder
salt
pepper
Cut the avocados in half & peel. Remove the seed and throw away. Place the avocados in a bowl (or molcajete, if you have one), and mash up really good. You can use a fork to mash it up, it will work fine. Add the cream cheese and mash that up in there real good, make sure it gets evenly distributed in the avocado mixture. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze out all the juice into the bowl. (Watch out for the seeds!) Sprinkle in some onion powder ( to taste, I never measure it!). Do the same with the salt & pepper. (You can experiment and see how much you like in it, better to use a little and then go back and add more, if needed). Mix everything up and you are done! The lemon juice will keep the guacamole from turning brown.
If you want to make the Soft Rolled Tacos, put a small amount of cooking oil in a pan and heat it up. When it is hot, place one corn tortilla into the oil. Leave it in there for about one minute, just enough for it to get real soft. Remove from the oil with a spatula, allowing the excess oil to drip back into the pan. Place the tortilla on a plate and place 2-3 tablespoons of guacamole on it. Roll up the tortilla and enjoy!
What’s your favorite avocado dish? Leave me a comment, I’d love to hear all about it! Be sure to check out the other fantastic recipes posted below. Feliz Navidad!
**Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Latina Blogger Connect & I Love Avocados. All opinions are my own.**
