Fresh guacamole with pomegranates

Timaree Hagenburger
Nutrition Professor, Cosumnes River College, Sacramento

Pomegranate and guac? The combination may sound weird, but it's delicious! Try it with jicama chips, sweet bell pepper dippers or even homemade roasted sweet potato chips.

Ingredients

1 avocado, diced and mashed
1 jalapeño or chipotle pepper, seeds and ribs removed for mild flavor, sliced
1 to 2 tbsp. chopped red onion
1 small clove garlic, chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 to 3 tbsp. fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp. cumin
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup fresh or frozen pomegranate arils/seeds

Directions

Combine all ingredients except pomegranate arils in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning. Gently stir in pomegranate arils, so that they do not burst and turn your guacamole pink. Enjoy with colorful bell pepper strips (the mini red, orange and yellow peppers are excellent), toasted whole grain pita triangles or jicama chips.

The Nutrition Professor's prep smart tip: Be sure to zest citrus fruits before cutting them into pieces to squeeze the juice. A microplane is my favorite zesting tool, and we want the zest, as it has been shown to help prevent skin cancer.