Recipe: Mango Guacamole with Pita Chips & Agua Fresca

I've had a crazy week this week, but I wanted to share some recipes from my fun-filled Memorial Day weekend. The first recipe for Mango Guacamole is from a cooking class Ben taught about incorporating healthy fats into your diet, and not only is it yummy, but by substituting whole wheat pita chips for tortilla chips it's also semi-guilt free. The second is a Watermelon Agua Fresca recipe I read about in the NY Times. I'd been dreaming about cold agua frescas for weeks and, rather than popping  up to La Esquina, I decided to try making them at home . These two recipes together make for one awesome summer's day (or night, if you have some vodka handy). Enjoy!

Mango Guacamole with Pita Chips

3 large, ripe avocados (if the ones you get are hard, put them in a brown paper bag overnight to ripen)

1 mango, peeled, pitted, and diced

1/2 medium red onion, finely diced

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (wash your hands throughly after handling the jalapeño)

1/2 cup cilantro, freshly chopped

Juice of about 2 limes

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

whole wheat pita chips

To cut each avocado in half, slice from the stem end straight down to the pit, and then rotate the knife around the pit. Twist the halves apart and remove the pit. Spoon the avocado flesh into a large mixing bowl. Add the juice of one of the limes at this point to prevent discoloration of the avocado. Mash with a fork until only slightly chunky. Add to the bowl the mango, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, additional lime juice if needed, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pita chips.

Watermelon Agua Fresca

5 cups diced, ripe watermelon

3 cups water

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (about 1/2 a lime)

1 tablespoon sugar (I added  a little more - this really depends on how sweet your watermelon is)

Blend together 4 cups of the watermelon, 1 1/2 cups of the water, the lime juice and the sugar on high speed until smooth. Strain through a medium strainer into a large pitcher or bowl. Stir in the remaining water  and watermelon. Refrigerate for 1 hour or longer. Fill a glass with ice, pour in the agua fresca and serve.