Happy National Guacamole Day!!!!

Today is Mexican Independence Day. It is also a day is the day to celebrate one of America’s, if not the most popular, dip, GUACAMOLE! It is an easy dish of avocados, lime juice, tomatoes, onions, and seasonings. It can be basic or complex with flavors added to satisfy any palate. Avocados have become super popular for decades especially recently as it was declared a super food, packed with good fats and high in nutrients. What is the history of the avocado and guacamole? What variations are available for this popular dish? Why do people love avocados and guacamole so much? A simple internet search will produce countless guacamole recipe, I will provide one that is simple, easy and can be modified to various tastes.

Avocados originated with the Aztecs in Mexico and known as a “fertility fruit” (Amidor, 2009). It was first cultivated between 7,000 and 5,000 BC. The word, “guacamole” is from the Classical Nahuatl word meaning “avocado sauce.” Avocados, in general, as well as guacamole have become increasingly popular in the United States since the 1990s. Today, California is the leading producer of domestic avocados with 90% of the US crop coming from the Golden State (Amidor, 2009). There are multiple variations of a guacamole. First, Mantequilla de pobre is literally “poor man’s butter,” which is a mixture of avocado, tomato, oil and a citrus juice. Despite its name, it predates the arrival od dairy cattle in the Americas and was not originally used as a butter substitute. Second, Guasacaca is a Venezuelan avocado sauce made with vinegar. It is usually served with parrillas (grilled foods), arepas or empanadas.

Why is guacamole so popular? It is a dip that people will devour in minutes and fight each other for each bite. It can be eaten alone with chips or on a burger, sandwich, or anything you can think of. The possibilities are endless. First, it fits into any diet. It is kosher, Halal, gluten free, grain free, vegan and dairy free (Spigelman Richter, 2015). Second, it is healthy for you. As mentioned before, avocados are a superfood. It is packed with folate, potassium, and vitamin B (Spigelman Richter, 2015). It is also low in sugar, high in monounsaturated fat with no sodium or cholesterol. It is high in lutein, an antioxidant, which is good for healthy eyes, and beta-sitosterol, which has been shown to help lower cholesterol (Amidor, 2009) as well as the added benefit from the tomatoes, garlic and lime juice. However, avocados are high in calories. It is the one flaw in this otherwise amazing fruit. 

On April 6, 2018, Junta Local de Sandid Vegetal de Tancitaro achieved the Guinness World Record for the largest serving of guacamole (Guinness World Record, 2018). As part of Tancitaro’s 7^th Annual Avocado Festival in Tancitaro Michoacan, Mexico, guacamole was prepared, weigning in at 3,788 kg (8,351 lbs) and took more than 350 people to prepared. The recipe for guacamole is simple dish that be doubled, tripled or even quadrupled, depending on the party size. Traditionally, a mortar and pestle would be used to mash the avocados but a fork works just fine.

 A simple guacamole recipe:

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados

2 tbsp onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 ripe tomato, chopped

The juice of 1 lime, add to taste

Salt and pepper to taste.

Peel and mash avocados in a medium serving bowl. Stir in onions, garlic, tomato, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld. The ingredients can be increased or decreased depending on preferences. It can be made spicy by adding chopped and seeded jalapenos.

Guacamole is a great dip with chips or can be added to a variety of foods and dishes. Originally cultivated in Mexico by the Aztecs, avocados and guacamole has become a popular addition to cuisine of many cultures in the Americas. It is a simple dish to make and extremely popular at parties, gatherings or just to have on regular night. It is a great food with a variety of nutrients and fits into many diets. Happy National Guacamole Day! A salute to everyone’s favorite dip!

 

 

References

 

Amidor, Toby (January 2009). Why We Love Avocados. Food Network. www.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/recipes/2009/01/why-we-love-avocados. Retrieved September 12, 2020.

 

Guinness World Record (April 6, 2018). Largest Serving of Guacamole. www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-serving-of-guacamole/. Retrieved September 12, 2020.

 

Spigelman Richter, Sarah (August 22, 2015). 6 reasons guacamole is the unofficial dip of the people. Mashable. www.mashable.com/2015/08/22/guacamole-love/. Retrieved September 12, 2020.

Gluten free chocolate cake

My daughter’s 4^th birthday was this week and she asked for a chocolate cake with My Little Pony decorations. So I pulled out my Hershey’s Gluten Free “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake Recipe (https://www.hersheys.com/recipes/en_US/recipes/96550/glutenfree-hersheys-perfectly-chocolate-chocolate-cake.html). I decided to add a little twists to it. I saved a meme on Facebook about how to make boxed cake mixes taste more like bakery cakes. So, here it is my version of Hershey’s Gluten Free “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake.

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1-3/4 cups gluten free all-purpose baking mix (I used Krusteaz Gluten Free All Purpose Flour)

¾ cup Hershey’s Cocoa

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup (2 sticks) melted unsalted butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup hot coffee.

Directions: Heat oven to 350° F. Grease two 9-inch round baking pans; dust with cocoa.

Stir together sugar, baking mix, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Mix one at time: eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Beat on medium with mixer for 2 minutes. Stir in hot coffee (batter will be thin). Pour into prepared pans.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for at least 5 minutes; remove from pans to a wire rack. Cool completely before icing.

Since my daughter wanted a My Little Pony Cake, I decided to do a vanilla buttercream. I did two different recipes for buttercream icing. The first recipe is simply to frost the cake and the second recipe for the decoration.

Vanilla Buttercream Icing:

Ingredients:

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

3-4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1/3 cup heavy cream, or milk or half and half

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Cream butter in mixing bowl. Alternately add powdered sugar and heavy cream, beating to spreading consistently. Frost cooled cake.

Vanilla Buttercream icing for decorations:

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks on unsalted butter, softened

6 cups powdered sugar, sifted

½ cup heavy cream or milk or half and half

2 teaspoons vanilla

For colors: Red, Blue and Yellow food dyes

Directions:

Combine butter, 4 cups of powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla; beat until smooth and creamy about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time beating for 2 minutes after each additions until icing is desired consistency.

Divide icing into 4 1 cup bowls: add dye to 3 bowls to make desired color: Red, Yellow, and Blue. Leave the fourth bowl just white.

Place colored icing into prepared piping bags. With a #5 round tip, create semi-circles along the bottom border to create small rainbows. With leftover white icing, create clouds as a border. On top of the cake, with a #10 round tip, create a rainbow, with white clouds at the ends of the rainbows. Place My Little Pony decorations and write Happy Birthday message.

My daughter was extremely happy with the end result. The cake was moist and very chocolaty. I had so many compliments on this cake that this recipe is a keeper. 

Jennifer's amazing chocolate cake

This particular cake I made for my sister’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Stefanie! Anyway, I used to two different icings. You don’t have to. Now on to the cake…

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 cups of granulated sugar

1 ¾ cup of gluten free flour

1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your flour already has it)

¾ cup good quality cocoa

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

1 ½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup buttermilk

½ cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup hot coffee

1 ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Fruit Puree: (optional)

1 12 oz. bag, frozen unsweetened berries, thawed (I’ve used raspberries or mixed berries in this recipe)

Frosting: (for filling)

½ cup butter, melted and slightly cooled

2/3 cup cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons buttermilk

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Gel food coloring of your choice (if desired, available at most craft stores or baking supply stores)

Ganache:

16 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips

16 oz. buttermilk

Directions:

1.      Preheat oven to 350° Grease and dusted 2 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans. Set aside

2.      Puree the thawed berries in a food processor until smooth. Push puree through a mesh strainer to remove any seeds. Reserve ¼ cup and set aside.

3.      Combine the sugar, flour, xanthan gum, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together. In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add the eggs and beat slightly. Then add the buttermilk, oil, vanilla and fruit puree. Mix until smooth. Add dry ingredients about 1/3 cup at a time. When all ingredients are combined, carefully mix in the hot coffee and the chocolate chips.

4.      Evenly distribute the cake batter in the two prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes to until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 5 pans, then turn out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

5.      Filling frosting: Mix the melted butter and cocoa until completely combined. Then add the reserved puree, mix to combine. Alternative adding the powdered sugar and the buttermilk while mixing until the frosting is smooth, glossy and a spreadable consistency. If it’s too thick, add a splash of milk. If it’s too think, add additional sugar. Beat in the vanilla.

6.      I usually split the two layers in order to make four small layers. Using the chocolate frosting between each layer. If you don’t feel comfortable splitting the layers, spread the frosting between the two layers. Put in refrigerator to set.

7.      In a large bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix on a low speed to combine, then beat on medium for a full 5 minutes. Add coloring, if desired.

8.      Frost the cake with the icing and put in refrigerator to set.

9.    To make the ganache, use a double broiler. You can use a makeshift double broiler by using a medium pot filled with water and a glass bowl (as shown). Make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Heat the water to a boil. When boiling, place the glass bowl on top of the pot and mix together the chocolate chips and the buttermilk. Keep stirring until chocolate is melted and completely smooth.

10. Carefully pour desired amount of ganache over the cooled cake and spread toward the edges.   

11. Place cake in the refrigerator to set. Decorate as desired.

Enjoy!!!!!!