Quick Mexican Salad with Guacamole.

I'm fairly certain the food we know as Mexican here in Australia is probably nothing like the real deal. That said, it's still pretty damn tasty and has always been a favourite of mine.


Guzman Y Gomez is an ever popular meeting place among my friends, as we can all get exactly what we want. Gluten free, vegetarian, low carb, and most importantly, beer or frozen margaritas. Since trying their food, my idea of home cooked Mexican has never been the same.

I've gone Chipotle sauce crazy, I'm in love with Cholula, I dream about guacamole!

As a result, I end up making this salad about once a week.

For two people, you will need:

• 2 tomatoes
• 2 avocados
• 1 tblsp lemon or lime juice
• 1/2 a large red onion
• Sour cream to taste
• Fresh coriander
• Your favourite salsa (I used Mission Black Bean and Chipotle, available in Coles near the rest of the Mexican food, but regular old taco sauce would probably do).

Extras to consider:
Grated cheese (mine had gone mouldy, which was why I didn't include it)
Sliced black olives
Fresh or pickled jalapenos
Fresh red capsicum
Grated carrot
Lettuce/other salad greens
Red or black beans (if you're not too concerned about carbs)
Cucumber (if you're a disgusting sicko with no tastebuds)

Make it:

Halve and peel the avocados, discard the seeds, place in a bowl and roughly mash with a fork. Leave some chunky bits. Add the lemon or lime juice.

Dice up the red onion and add it to your guacamole. I sometimes add diced red capsicum or diced fresh jalapenos to this too. Mix well.

Dice your tomatoes and lay them on a plate. Top with the guacamole, sour cream, and a generous helping of your salsa. Take a pair of scissors and snip up a handful of fresh coriander over the top.

Top with hot sauce of your choosing, and commence shoveling!


But hang on, where's the meat?!

There isn't any. Tough tacos.

BUT, if you're a keen meat-eater, I'd recommend putting whatever meat you prefer down with the tomato and layering everything else on top of it. Tinned tuna or leftover cold roast chicken would go well for a quick, low-prep meal. If you're after something a little more fancy, this tastes excellent with slow-cooked pulled pork, or even mince with Mexican seasoning.

Carb Count:

This will of course vary based on the size and type of vegetables you use, and the sugar content of your salsa. This particular rendition works out at about 25 carbs and 440 calories per generous serving.

It's fresh, it's crunchy, and you'll be tasting red onion for the rest of the day. So eat up!