Guacamole

A staple side dish at our house, guacamole is the perfect companion to a whole bunch of dishes in a Texas kitchen. When avocadoes are in season, we make it several times a week. Great as a spread on wraps, burritoes or a dip for chips, guacamole adds that special something and takes no time to make.

2-3 ripe avacadoes
1 tomato
3 green onions
1 jalepeno
cilantro
1/2 T cumin
1/2 T chili powder
salt
lime juice

Cut avacados into small chunks and add to a medium bowl. (Tip: the best and least messy way I have found to do this is to slice the avacado in half, remove the pit by inserting the edge of your knife into the seed and twisting, score the avacodo fruit in a checker board pattern and  scoop out the fruit with a spoon). Dice tomatoes, green onions and jalepeno and add to bowl. Chop cilantro and add cumin, chili powder and salt to taste. Stir and mash until desired consistency. Squirt liberally with lime juice.

Cheater's tip: To save time, use premade pico de gallo instead of chopping your own veggies. This is a great tip if you need to make the guacamole on-site at a party.

Homemade Refried Beans

My family loves refried beans. I tried a bunch of different varieties from the store but they all had that "processed food" taste and came out of the can looking like cat food. I also realized that most refried beans you buy in the can are made with lard - gross! So I experimented with making my own and found it to be really easy and much tastier than the canned stuff. These beans are great rolled up in a tortilla, spread on a tostada or just eaten as a side dish.

1 can black beans or pinto beans
3 T vegetable oil
1/2 small onion - minced
1/2 bell pepper - minced
1 clove garlic
fresh jalepeno minced (to taste)
1/2 T cumin
1/2 T chili powder
1 cup veggie broth
salt/pepper (to taste)

Heat vegetable oil in a sauce pan on medium heat. Add minced garlic, onion, bell pepper and jalepeno. Add seasonings. Cook veggies until onions are translucent.  Drain the beans and rinse well in a collander. Add beans to pot and stir. Continue to cook on medium heat until beans are hot and starting to get soft. Use a potato masher, the back of a big spoon or a small spatula to mash the beans. Add the veggie broth in increments and keep mashing and stirring. Keep adding veggie broth until desired consistency is obtained. Add salt and pepper to taste.