Now that cookout season has kicked off, my healthy makeovers of traditional summer classics -- like creamy guacamole dip -- are in high demand.

It's true that avocados are high in fat, prompting people to call it the "butter pear." While a medium-sized avocado contains about 30 grams of fat, most of it is mono-unsaturated fat that actually helps to lower cholesterol levels. Diet experts have long steered consumers away from avocados, though the U.S. government revised its official nutrition guidelines a few years ago to encourage Americans to eat more of them.

Some people say it's impossible to mess up a guacamole recipe, but I beg to differ. In my book, there's no place for garlic. Yes, you heard right. Plum tomatoes are a must, with the seeds removed to keep from watering down the dip's velvety texture. I also think lime juice and cilantro are central to kicking up the flavor a notch, adding a nice contrast to the creamy texture of the avocados. I top the whole thing off with a pinch of heat from cayenne or other hot, ground dried chilies.

Get Jennifer's guacamole tips and Creamy Guacamole Dip recipe after the jump.

How to keep those avocado halves green once they've been split open for your awesome guacamole?

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An avocado scandal erupted in California. While avocado farmers are experiencing one of their worst years in avocado production, their advocates are celebrating, so it seems. Last week, Marisa McClellan wrote a post that foresees the scarcity of avocados in the coming year. Following the sad news, the New York Times printed an article revealing the decadent lifestyle of the California Avocado Commission "as a kind of free-spending, avocado-gone-wild farm party."

The California Department of Food and Agriculture just released a report explaining that commission employee benefits included: season tickets for the Los Angeles Angels and hockey's Mighty Ducks, paid gym memberships, stipends for vitamins, and even workout clothes. To think that I thought health insurance was an important benefit...As one would imagine avocado farmers are outraged. Rick Shade, an unpaid chairman of the board and third-generation avocado farmer, states that they uncovered about $300,000 in dubious expenses - $39,000 spent by commission employees at upscale clothing stores, like Ann Taylor and Nordstrom.

With such outrageous spending, how could it have taken this long for avocado farmers to take notice? Shade explains that they turned a blind-eye since most farmers were making more and more money from the commission's succuss at popularizing the fruit.

Really now, when you think of food porn, that last thing you think of is bean dip, right? Okay, maybe a luxurious cannellini bean spread drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, or perhaps even a deep, dark sultry black bean dip, but seven layer dip? That's the stuff made with brown lumpy stuff that's mashed together with pork lard then layered together into a congealed rainbow of Taco Bell flavors most often found pre-made in the grocery store refrigerated section. There is nothing sexy about Seven Layer Dip.

Unless it's the Seven Layer Bean Dip over at Simply Recipes. Unlike all those supermarket dips, Elise demands that the refried beans as the first layer be hot. I agree. Who wants to bite into a lump of cold, hard smashed beans? When the refried beans are hot, then the next layer, shredded cheese, melts itself all over it, creating quite the pornographic seven layer dip pictured above.

You'll never be able to look at Seven Layer Dip the same way again.

I adore chipotle peppers. They may be trendy, but that doesn't take away from the fact that they are very tasty. Chipotle peppers are smoked jalapenos and are usually packed in cans in an adobo sauce. The original process was developed to preserve the peppers, but the smoky flavor and lingering heat of the chipotle long ago caused it to become popular in its own right. That heat makes a nice background to the cool, creamy avocado in this guacamole.

You can choose to make it either creamy or chunky, depending on what you want to serve it with. Chunky guacamoles tend to work best with chips and crackers, as both provide ample surface area for scooping. Creamier dips are a better choice for veggies and pretzels, or other snacks that don't make for a good scoop. For a chunky dip, simply mince everything and stir it together to blend. For an ultra-creamy dip, use the food processor to combine everything.

If you had asked me 15 years ago what I thought the healthiest foods were, I probably would have said salad, pasta, bread, rice, and water. If you had asked me 35 years ago, I probably would have said Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Quisp cereal, pretzels, Pepsi, and Sara Lee pound cake.

We all know better now, of course (for example, Sara Lee pound cake should only be eaten 20 or so times a week), but do we really know what the healthiest foods are? We've talked a lot about healthy foods before, but never like what you'll see after the jump...in video form! The video isn't the best quality, and waiting 30 seconds for the next food to be listed is rather annoying, but the info is interesting. Besides, it's like a game. You can take those 30 seconds to place bets with your friends! What will be next in the video...apricots? Avocados? Broccoli? Read on...

Not all single-purpose kitchen gadgets are useless, but slicers are getting out of control. There are slicers for avocados, tomatoes, eggs, butter and mozzarella, just to name a few from Williams-Sonoma. While the avocado slicer has a slightly different look, the other four have the exact same design in slightly different shapes. And you don't need any of them. All of those foods are exceptionally easy to slice through with a sharp knife and the scooping function of the avocado slicer can be replicated with a spoon.

If none of your knives can handle tasks like slicing tomatoes or hard-boiled eggs, you don't need a gadget. You need a new knife. Trust me - you'll get a lot more use out of it.

We have all heard it. It's this universal truth that once you cut an avocado, you have to perform all kinds of voodoo magic to keep it from turning brown - put the pit in with guacamole, sprinkle with lemon or lime juice right away, pray to the avocado gods, etc. Otherwise, your avocado is going to go from creamy luscious green to brown in a matter of...seconds?

But for some reason, this universal truth didn't sit well with me. I love avocados, and unless the avocado has those horrible brown streaks and spots to begin with, I have rarely had the problem of it turning brown right away. I always wondered if I just got lucky somehow.

I did a test to see if avocados really do turn brown, and if so, how long it takes.

 

 You can't go wrong when you make room for more healthy foods in your diet. Unlike the worst foods you can eat, these are foods that have a great taste and are good for you. Adding them to your daily routine is a great idea, whether you want to get in shape for the summer swimsuit season, to lose weight or just get a little bit healthier. Of course, these aren't all of the best foods you can eat (that list would be too long), but it's a great place to start.

Almonds -- While walnuts contain up to 90% of the recommended daily amount of omega-3 fatty acids per serving, almonds are very high in monounsaturated fats, which have also been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease. They are high in calcium and fiber, low in saturated fats and are very satisfying. A great way to incorporate more almonds into your diet is by using a natural almond butter on your toast or in sandwiches, instead of a processed peanut butter, which may have sugars, stabilizers and hydrogenated fats added to it.

Oatmeal -- Oatmeal is high in soluble fiber, protein, vitamins B1, B12 and E and is low in fat. It has been shown to lower cholesterol when eaten regularly, and has been associated with the reduced risk of many cancers, including colon cancer. Steel cut oats, which are made by cutting a whole oat groat (the most nutritious form) into a few pieces, are the best way to get the maximum benefit from your oatmeal, but regular rolled oats are a good choice, too. Avoid instant oatmeals and, if plain is too boring, top a bowl with any kind of fruit or some of your own spices.

Oxidation is essentially the process by which something starts to break down once it has been exposed to air, as some metals - notably iron and copper - will rust when left untended. When a cut fruit, such as an avocado, banana or apple is exposed to air, its flesh also begins oxidize, discoloring and turning to an unappetizing shade of brown. The trick to keep avocados, guacamole and any other dip with the buttery, green fruit from turning brown is to add citric acid to it.

Citric acid is a weak, naturally occuiring acid that is found in many fruits and vegetables, though its highest concentration is in lemons and limes, which are up to 8% citric acid. In addition to imparting a slightly sour taste to citrus fruits, it is a strong antioxidant. Adding just a teaspoon or two of the acid to a mashed avocado, or brushing a bit on the surface of an apple, will keep the fruit looking as though it were just cut. A splash of lemon or lime juice in your guacamole will keep it green and tempting from the moment it is made, until there isn't enough left to dip a chip.

It's a good thing Nicole highlighted avocadoes as an major player in the Super Bowl of food, because it's also the first food I'm talking about in a totally irregular, sporadic series of posts dedicated to feeding your face - the skin on your face that is, along with your hair, and maybe even your nails. Food certainly does wonders for your body from the inside when you eat it, but it certainly works natural miracles on the outside, too. Haven't we already seen a French toast facial?

Avocadoes, as we all know, taste good because they contain a lot of fat. Not to fear the freaded F-word! Even though it can be up to 25 grams per avocado, it's good fat for your body, and it's this fat that make avocadoes an amazing moisturizer. Alone, avocado can work as moisturizing mask, and mixed with a few other ingrdients, can be used as a cleanser, and even to remove under-eye circles. Just don't make guacamole with it once your face feels refreshed!

To make an all-avocado face mask, all you have to do is puree a quarter, or up to half an avocado (depending on the size of the avocado, and the size of your face), and apply it, by itself, to your clean face. Let it work its avocado-magic for 15 minutes, then rinse off.