Easy Low-Fat Lima Bean Guacamole...

I love a good guacamole, especially in the spring and summer months. I make it often, usually in small amounts - Since my husband doesn’t like avocados - by hand with my mortar and pestle. I love to use it on wraps, or burgers, it’s great on nachos or in a seven layer dip. It’s also great on it’s own with some tortilla or pita chips.

I know a lot of people tend to shy away from avocados because of the ‘fat’ content. Personally I think this is just plain silly. Avocados are filled with healthful nutritional benefits, and yes they contain fat, but healthful fat, and some fat in the diet is required. (Not much, but some) Honestly if you’re eating a relatively low-fat vegan diet of whole foods, it’s not the bowl of guacamole that’s going to get you. Which is why I don’t worry about it, I don’t even consider the fat content of a bowl of guacamole, I just eat it. Though I can understand the desire to eat lower fat, especially if say you want to eat a massive helping of guac particularly in a week where you may have fallen a little of the ‘health food’ wagon, or for whatever reason haven’t been exercising regularly. (You do exercise regularly right?) And so after being extremely impressed, and inspired by a low fat guac my good friend J brought to a party, I decided to try and develop my own.

This works great on two fronts - 1 it’s low-fat, and 2 my husband loves it because it’s not avocados! So if you have an avocado hater in your midst have them give this one a try and see if they don’t come around.

Easy Low-Fat Lima Bean Guacamole

12-16oz frozen lima beans (thawed) (I used roughly 12oz, you could use more but might have to adjust the seasonings)
1 medium Avocado
1 tbsp lime juice
1 handful chopped green onion (or to taste)
1 handful finely chopped cilantro (or to taste)
1 medium-large tomato diced (or more if desired)
½ Jalapeno (or more if you like heat)
1/4 C water (or more to thin)
2 Tbsp Non-dairy sour cream (I used Toffutti)
4-6 Garlic cloves or to taste
Black pepper, smoked paprika, and oregano to taste

- Place thawed lima beans, avocado, lime juice, jalapeno, non-dairy sour cream, and garlic cloves into a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend on high.

(Note this recipe makes a good deal of guac, so the 1 avocado is pretty insignificant fat wise. I used it along with the 2 tbsp of non-dairy sour cream to add more creaminess to the guac, but you can opt out of using either if you like, and use silken tofu instead for the same creamy effect)

- Because the mixture is so thick, your blender or food processor might give you a bit of trouble, you will likely need to scrape down the sides with a spatula. This is also where the water comes in. Use as little or as much as you need to get the blades of your blender/processor moving so that everything can combine easily. Remember you want the mixture to remain thick, you don’t want it to thin much, just enough to flow easily when the blender is on.

- Once everything is combined you can then choose to add your green onion and cilantro to the blender and pulse to combine it. Or if you prefer you can scrape the guacamole out of your blender and just fold in the green onions, and cilantro for a chunkier texture.

- Once everything is combined taste for flavor, and add salt and black pepper, oregano and smoked paprika to taste. You can add more jalapeno at this point or more garlic if you like.

- Once you are satisfied with the taste and texture of your guacamole scrape it into a bowl, mix in the diced tomato, and garnish with a little chopped green onion, cilantro, and even a bit of diced tomato and non-dairy cheddar if you like.

- Enjoy with good friends and Spanish music, on a sunny day, with a bowl of tortilla chips, or pita chips, and don’t forget to slather some onto a veggie burger.

Honestly I think this guacamole taste best when fresh, but it will keep over night.

P.S. Because I love fun-filled facts - Guacamole originated in Mexico and was made by the Aztecs as early as the 16^th century. After the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores in Mexico, guacamole became popular in Spain..

***Note- Soy and Gluten Free if using a Soy and/or Gluten-Free Non-Dairy Sour Cream such as Wayfair***

Happy and Healthy Eating!