The Best Guacamole You've Ever Tasted

If you’ve ever tried Guacamole from the store or restaurant, and didn’t like it… you might need a “do-over”. Not only can Guacamole be so flavorful, but it’s also a very easy dip to make for any party, taco night, or just a good old fashioned self care night in. Grab a bag of salty tortilla chips, and let’s get to making The Best Guacamole You’ve Ever Tasted…

First, start by heading over to Garden Valley and picking out your ripe avocados, juicy tomatoes, tangy limes, and flavorful red onions. We chose the better boy tomato, but you can easily substitute that for another tomato that you would prefer. If you ever need help in knowing if your avocado is ripe, any of our knowledgeable employees would be glad to assist you.

Also, did you know that avocados are REALLY good for you? Here’s some of the health benefits:

+ High in monounsaturated fats, which help prevent heart disease AND lower blood pressure
+ Great source of fiber, which is wonderful for gut health
+ High in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds
+ Packed with nutrients that support satiety in diet, helping support a healthy weight/diet
+ Great source of folate, a very important vitamin needed in fetal development

Okay now that you’re home, let’s get to the good stuff…

Start by slicing your avocados and dumping them into the bowl. Add in your freshly squeezed lime juice, garlic, salt, red onions, and tomatoes. Now mash, chop, and stir ingredients until blended to the texture you desire. Some people like no lumps, while others like a little bit of texture when dipping their chip. It’s all in the preference you choose.

There’s no science to this recipe, which is what makes it sooo easy. Just dump, smash, stir, and dip. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how fresh and amazing this guacamole tastes. We also think you’ll be making this for every party from here on out. Trust us, it’s always the first thing to go at the appetizer table, and your friends and family will be raving about this recipe for a long time. Don’t worry though… it will be our little secret.

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The Best Guacamole you’ve ever tasted
SERVINGS: 4 PEOPLE

INGREDIENTS

3 Avacodos
2 Freshly Squeezed Limes
1/4 C Finely Diced Red Onion
1/3 C Finely Diced Tomato
1 1/2 t Garlic Powder
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Slice avocados and scoop the meat of them into mixing bowl.
2. Squeeze the juice of your two limes into bowl with your avocados.
3. Finely chop 1/4 C tomato and 1/3 C red onion while the avocado is absorbing the lime juices.
4. Dump onion, tomato, salt, and garlic powder into the bowl.
5. Smash your avocados and stir until your have reached desired texture and consistency in your guacamole.
6. Grab a chip (or two) and taste test.

S I D E N O T E
We have found that letting the avocado absorb the lime juice prior to smashing it does help to soften it. This helps if your avocado was not quite ripe enough.

WE WANT TO KNOW…

have you ever made Guacamole from scratch? Let us know in the comments below. You can also share your delicious Guacamole with us by tagging us on Facebook or Instagram. We can’t wait to see!

Honey Drizzled Pears with Roasted Walnuts and Goat Cheese

Honey Drizzled Pears with Roasted Walnuts and Goat Cheese

With the savory, melted goat cheese topping the warm, sweet pears, combined with a crunch from the roasted walnuts, this recipe is sure to leave you and your guests going back for seconds, thirds, and maybe fourths? Perfect to be used as an appetizer or a dessert, this mouth-watering Fall recipe is just what you didn’t know you needed for you next gathering.

The best part? You can find these sweet pears and freshly canned honey at your local Garden Valley Market stores in North Carolina. With pears so sweet and soft that they leave each bite to be desired, and delicious local honey produced from our hard working North Carolina bees, this recipe in combination with the cheese and walnuts is beyond desirable. We highly recommend you make this ASAP.

Let’s dive in, shall we?

Begin by preheating your oven to 425 degrees, Fahrenheit. Slice your pears into thick slices, about half an inch thick. (This allows your pears to be able to hold up all of those delicious toppings).

Next, place your pears evenly onto a baking pan and brush with melted butter.

Top with crushed walnuts and bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes.

Remove pears from oven and allow to cool slightly. Once pears have cooled to the touch, top with goat cheese and place in oven again for approximately 8 minutes. This allows the pears to cook a tad more and for the delicious, mouth watering goat cheese to become soft and melt onto the pears.

We used a blueberry goat cheese, but any goat cheese would be perfect for this recipe!

Remove pears from oven for the last time. (You can turn off your oven at this point). Allow to cool slightly, then transfer pears onto your prettiest serving dish. Trust us, these pears deserve a beautiful place setting.

Once pears are placed onto serving dish, drizzle with some fresh, local honey.

Eat while warm, and leave no pear behind.

Thank you so much for joining us here. For more information on what Garden Valley Farmers Market is about, you can visit us here. If you’re wanting to follow along with us, you can do so either on our Facebook or our Instagram. And if you’re wanting to check out our other recipes and blog posts, or are needing more inspiration, follow us on our Pinterest. We’d love to have you join us in our journey of planting better, eating better, and living better.
Much love,
Your Garden Valley Farmers Market Team

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Honey Drizzled Pears with
Roasted Walnuts + Goat Cheese
SERVINGS: 8-12 people
TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

4 medium sized pears
Local honey
1 Tbsp. butter (melted)
1/2 C crushed walnuts
Goat Cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice your pears into thick slices about half an inch thick.

• Next, place your pears evenly onto a baking pan and brush with melted butter. Top with crushed walnuts and bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes.

• Remove pears from oven and allow to cool slightly. Once pears have cooled to the touch, top with goat cheese and place in oven again for approximately 8 minutes.

• Remove pears from oven for the last time. Allow to cool slightly, then transfer pears onto serving dish.

• Once pears are placed onto serving dish, drizzle with some fresh, local honey. Enjoy while warm.

Side note: If making this recipe as a dessert, consider topping with your favorite vanilla ice-cream? The warm pears and cold ice cream are a wonderful combination to be desired.