Pomegranate and Mango Guacamole

So, this is one of the appetizers that I made for Thanksgiving. Yes, I'm still sharing Thanksgiving recipes. I told you I made a TON of food- and I still have 5 more posts of things I made to get up! However, this particular recipe isn't exactly typical Thanksgiving fare and you could serve it whenever.

It might seem odd to consider adding pomegranate or mango to guacamole- and even stranger to add both- but I assure you, it is beyond delicious! The mango and pomegranate add a sweetness that is offset by the spicy chiles and acidic lime juice. Another thing that I love about this guac is the multitude of textures. The familiar creaminess of the avocados is cut with the little balloon-like pomegranate arils and juicy mango chunks; and, when piled on a crunchy plantain chip, you are left with pure texture-heaven!

I got quite a few compliments on this appetizer and I will definitely be making it again! It's also quite easy to throw together. Honestly, the most difficult part is getting the arils out of the pomegranate- which admittedly can be rather time-consuming. I've found the best way to go about it is to cut the pomegranate in halfway through and then pull it apart. Do the same to separate it into quarters. Next, grab a large bowl of water and hold the quarters under the water and pull out the arils.

Pomegranate and Mango Guacamole

recipe slightly adapted from here

ingredients:

• 4 ripe avocados
• 1/2 large white onion, diced
• 2 fresh serrano chiles, finely chopped, seeds removed from one but left in the other
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• Arils (seeds) from 1 pomegranate
• 1 large mango, peeled and diced
• sea salt
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1. Halve, pit and peel the avocados. Coarsely mash them in a large bowl.
2. Stir in the onion, chiles, and lime juice. Season with salt to taste.
3. Fold in the pomegranate seeds, leaving a small amount left over to garnish. Add in the mango and cilantro.
4. Garnish the top with lime wedges and the leftover pomegranate arils. Serve with plantain chips. I also served mine with multigrain tortilla chips.

*This can be made 4 hours ahead of time. Just press plastic wrap onto the surface of the guacamole and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.