Pete’s Market is known throughout Chicagoland for its ready-made dishes and to-go meals, but did you know we make our own guacamole too? Yes, the centuries-old Aztec party-spread made from avocado and spices has been perfected right here in the Windy City. Thanks to the talents of our in-store chefs and our seasoned produce buyers, Pete’s Market guacamole is quickly becoming one of our top sellers! Because tasting is believing, we encourage you to pick some up and try it for yourselves.
The real question isn’t whether or not you’ll love it. We know you will. It’s how you’ll eat the guacamole. Tortilla chips are certainly the gold standard, but are you familiar with the many other ways to deliver its smooth deliciousness to your taste buds? As always, we’re here to help. Here are five suggestions to break the chip-chain and breathe new life into your guac-game.
Guacamole in Soup
A cold dollop of guacamole added to a hot bowl of your favorite soup is a simple way to go from good to great. Whether it’s vegetable soup or clam chowder, guacamole is almost always a welcome addition. The contrast of temperatures, along with the universal appeal of guacamole with most other flavors, makes adding it to hot soup a foolproof way to turn comfort food into cuisine. This simple tactic also works on chili mac, beef stew, chicken pot pie, and other bowl-based meals. If it’s a hot (delicious) mess, a scoop of cool guacamole can only make it better.
A Better Butter?
The next time you have a hankering for cornbread, apply some Pete’s Market guacamole instead of butter. The fluffy goodness of warm cornbread just begs to be eaten with a nice spread of guacamole. It’s healthier, sure, but it tastes so good you’ll wonder why you didn’t start putting it on warm bread products way sooner.
In recent years, thanks in part to social media and millennials, guacamole toast has become an actual thing. A great number of influencer-foodies have shown us that a golden-brown piece of toast with a spread of guacamole is the perfect canvas for all sorts of finishing touches: a fried egg, bacon with goat cheese, tomatoes with basil, feta cheese, scallions, and so on. Apparently, the internet agrees: If it’s good with the guac, then it’s even better on toast.
If you’re more interested in straight-up avocado slices, consider spicing them up with Alessi’s new avocado toast seasoning. Available at all Pete’s Market locations, this flavor-packed blend of select spices and sea salt is the ultimate vegan & gluten free companion to not just avocado, but virtually any dish in need of a flavorful kick.
Like butter, mayonnaise can also be swapped out in favor of our favorite green spread. Egg salad, tuna salad, and even deviled eggs take on a whole new, delightful flavor when the mayo (or even sour cream) is replaced with Pete’s Market freshly-made guacamole. The sky’s the limit! Think BLT, baked potato, crab cakes – it all works.
Salad Dressing & Platter Dips
It takes mere seconds to jazz-up your favorite salad dressing with a guacamole infusion. Grab your whisk and mix some Pete’s Market guacamole into vinaigrette, ranch, or any dressing of your choice. The dressing will take on the smooth, distinct flavor of our guacamole and give your salad a refreshing appeal.
If dipping is your thing, swap out the ranch or bleu cheese with guacamole on your next veggie tray. Raw carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower are mainstays with every healthy party platter – why not shake up the dip with a generous helping of guacamole? The same holds true for shrimp cocktail, cheese sticks, French fries, and anything else you’d be dipping in marinara, or cheese sauce, or ketchup. For fans, guacamole is pretty much a one-size-fits-all dipping alternative.
With Fruit?
Fun fact: avocados are actually categorized as a fruit. A single-seeded berry, to be exact. So it stands to reason that other fruits like pineapples and bananas would partner up well with guacamole. And they do! Avocado has worked its way into numerous fruit-smoothie recipes, and is now a superfood-staple for blender jockeys who like to eat their fruit and yogurt through a straw. As such, it’s not much of a stretch to suggest simply adding some strawberries or dragon fruit to your guacamole toast. Give it a try – you might discover something you’ve been missing.
Bar Food
Guacamole on burgers is fairly common, but what about on pizza? A nice, chunky spread of Pete’s Market guacamole on a hot slice offers a juxtaposition of flavors that somehow works like they’ve been together since pizza’s humble beginnings in Italy. Or buffalo wings? Hot and spicy buffalo sauce is traditionally tempered with ranch or bleu cheese sauce… why not guacamole?
So the next time you’re splurging on bar food at home (whether creating your own or calling for delivery) be sure to have a container of Pete’s Market guacamole on hand. Your local pizzeria may not be as enlightened, but you’re now operating on a different level. Prepare accordingly.
We could argue that everything tastes better with guacamole, and apparently, we just did. But as with all great food combinations, your source is the key to success. Pete’s Market painstakingly selects only the best avocados for our guacamole, resulting in a superior product for your everyday enjoyment. Visit our stores to see firsthand the love and care that we put forth in stocking our produce sections (and all other departments) with the finest foods every day.