Our relatives in Spain couldn’t stop laughing when we showed them the photo of our skinny young avocado tree. Just a year old and not even four feet tall, its trunk was as slender as a thumb. But it wasn’t the tree that was funny, it was the large pink umbrella set up next to it, protecting the poor thing from the blazing midsummer southern California heat. It hung on for dear life, but didn’t survive the brutal days of September when Los Angeles makes its annual transformation into a walk-in pizza oven. So we replaced the torched avocado with a tropical loquat tree that loves the sun and has been generously producing plump, juicy fruits these past two years. Eventually, we’ll find a shadier spot and plant another tree where it can flourish and make millions of avocados for us. Considering they sell for two or three dollars each in the store, one could save a lot of money owning a tree, especially if you’re a fanatic follower of this fantastic fruit like we. You may have questions at this point: Where is this going? And what the heck is broccamole? We promise this is leading somewhere… and of course, it happens to be somewhere incredibly delicious. To learn more, simply scroll down to the next paragraph…
Guacamole plus broccoli equals broccamole. One of our all-time favorite recipes from the Veganomicon is Pasta Della California: angel hair noodles tossed with loads of garlic, lemon juice, broccoli, and… avocado. Before we lose half our readers, stay with us. We thought it sounded odd too, but it quickly became one of our go-to weeknight dinners and now we tell everyone we know about it. Inspired by that recipe, and after realizing how wonderful avocado and broccoli were together, we decided we had to try this combo with guacamole. We laughed when we came up with the name, and knew it would be perfect for the blog, but after looking it up online, we discovered it had been done before. Although we can’t take credit for inventing the name, we know you will be thanking us for sharing this addicting version of guacamole on steroids.
Broccamole was our dip of choice for this year’s Academy Awards. It was an unforgettable show and we enjoyed it with an unforgettable snack. Creamy avocados are mashed with chopped red onions and minced jalapeño peppers. Adding both lemon and lime juice is our citrus secret, and tossing it with steamed broccoli that has been slightly pulsed in the food processor turns an already delicious guacamole into even more delicious broccamole. Garnish with fresh cilantro and grab a bag of chips: after one bite of broccamole, everyone is going to be wishing for their own avocado tree.
Broccamole
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
3 medium avocados
1/4 cup (35g) finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons seeded and minced jalapeño pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Place a steamer basket in a medium saucepan, add a few inches of water, cover, and bring to a boil. When boiling, add the broccoli florets, cover, and steam until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the cooked broccoli to a food processor, and pulse a few times until the largest pieces are the size of a pea.
Scoop the avocados into a medium bowl, and use a fork to mash them up. Add the onion, jalapeño, lemon juice, lime juice, salt, and pepper, and stir well to combine. Add the chopped broccoli and stir until blended. Taste for salt, lemon, and lime, and adjust if needed. Serve with tortilla chips, topped with a handful of chopped cilantro if desired, and enjoy!