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They’re not just for guacamole anymore, avocados are showing up everywhere; sliced on burgers, baked into brownies, schmeared on toast, blended into smoothies, and puréed into creamy dips like today’s recipe. This ultra-trendy fruit is a nutrient powerhouse, supplying healthy monounsaturated fats, dietary fiber, and nearly 20 vitamins and minerals including potassium (helps control blood pressure), folate (needed to produce and maintain new cells), vitamin C (aids in wound healing), vitamin E (acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells from damage), and vitamin K (essential for blood clotting).

While there are hundreds of varieties of avocados, Hass avocados are the most well-known and account for the majority of avocados sold in the U.S. This popular avocado has pebbly skin that changes in color from dark green to purplish-black when ripe. Other varieties such as Fuerte, Bacon, and Zutano are sometimes referred to as “greenskins” due to their green skin that doesn’t change color with ripening.

Avocados have a rich, smooth, buttery texture and mild, nutty flavor. For today’s dip, I highlighted the smooth factor by preparing some of the ingredients in a food processor. Start by adding the avocado cubes, lime juice, sour cream, and cream cheese to the processor and blend for a minute or two until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Because I like this dip to have a little bit of texture, I stir in the green onion, jalapeño pepper, garlic, and cilantro rather than blending them in the food processor.

When selecting avocados, choose fruit that feels heavy for its size and avoid those with soft spots or bruises. An avocado that is firm but yields slightly to gentle pressure is ready to slice. If pressing leaves a small dent in the fruit, it’s probably too ripe for slicing, but great for mashing and making dips and guacamole. If pressing leaves a large dent, the fruit is overripe and will likely have black, unusable flesh.

Store ripe, uncut avocados in the refrigerator for up to a week. Refrigerate firm, not-quite-ripe, uncut avocados up to 2 weeks. Before eating not-quite-ripe avocados, allow 1 to 2 days ripening time on the kitchen counter.

To your health,

Darlene

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CREAMY AVOCADO DIP

Yield: 10 servings

Serving Size: 1/4 cup

Prep: 10 minutes

Ready: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

3 cups cubed fresh avocado (2 to 3 avocados, depending on size)
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup (2 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
1/4 cup finely diced green onion (white parts only)
2 tablespoons finely diced jalapeño pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons minced cilantro, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon Tajín^®Clasico seasoning or sweet paprika
1 tablespoon thinly sliced green onion (green parts only)

DIRECTIONS

Place avocado cubes, lime juice, sour cream, and cream cheese in a food processor or blender and process, stopping to scrape down sides as needed, until smooth and creamy; about 1 to 2 minutes.
Transfer avocado mixture to a bowl and add finely diced green onion (white parts only), jalapeño pepper, garlic, 2 tablespoons minced cilantro, salt, and cumin and stir to combine.
Place avocado dip in a serving bowl and garnish with Tajín^® seasoning, thinly sliced green onion (green parts only), and remaining 2 teaspoons minced cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips and fresh vegetables. Store leftovers in an airtight container and use within 1 to 2 days. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the dip before sealing the lid to minimize browning.

Nutrition Information per Serving (dip only)

95 Calories, 8 g Total fat, 2 g Saturated fat, 0 g Trans fat, 8 mg Cholesterol, 139 mg Sodium, 5 g Total carbohydrate, 3 g Dietary fiber, 1 g Total sugars, 0 g Added sugars, 2 g Protein, 0 mcg (0%) Vitamin D, 23 mg (2%) Calcium, 0 mg (0%) Iron, 216 mg (4%) Potassium

Creamy Avocado Dip