Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Like I need another excuse to eat Mexican food...  In honor of my favorite Mexican holiday, we celebrated with slow cooked pork carnita tacos accompanied by avocado 3 ways.  I made my traditional guacamole, a roasted garlic and orange guacamole, and pomegranate and avocado salsa.  Yes, pomegranate salsa.  It's certainly not a salsa to be eaten with chips but went beautifully with the tacos.  The tangy pop of the pomegranate seeds was the perfect accent to the smoky pork and creamy avocado.  Thanks to our houseguest, we've been obsessed with all things pomegranate for the last month so I had to figure out a way to incorporate them. 

We gobbled up the tacos too fast to take any pics.  It's amazing that something that takes 8 hours to cook can be eaten up in a matter of minutes! 

Avocado 3 Ways

Traditional Guacamole

Ingredients

3 avocados
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 small red onion, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp cumin
salt

Directions

1. Cut around each avocado lengthwise and twist halves apart. Stab pit with knife and dislodge. Scoop out flesh.

2. Combine all ingredients and coarsely mash together. Season to taste with salt.

Roasted Garlic and Orange Guacamole

Ingredients

6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 small oranges
1 jalapeno
1 small red onion, diced
3 ripe avocados, pitted, flesh scooped from the skin
3 tbsp mint, chopped
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juiced
salt

Directions

1. Roast the garlic in a dry skillet over medium heat until it is soft and blackened in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. Squeeze out garlic and chop if necessary.

2. Supreme the oranges by cutting of the ends, standing orange up and cutting off all the rind and all of the bitter white pith.  Release segments by cutting along either side of each membrane.  Chop the oranges.

3. Cut around each avocado lengthwise and twist halves apart.  Stab pit with knife and dislodge.  Scoop out flesh. 

4. Combine all ingredients and coarsely mash together.  Season to taste with salt. 

Pomegranate and Avocado Salsa

Ingredients

2 avocados, peeled and diced
1 lime, juiced
1 pomegranate, seeded
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 tbsp honey
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
salt

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and season to taste with salt.