1 Week, 1 Grill, 8 Friends - Part 2

*Scroll down for part 1*

Although neither of these are grill recipes, we did have grilled veggies on the side at every meal. Nothing like really good thin asparagus drizzled in olive oil, salt & pepper, then grilled until sligtly charred. And now, back to the recipes at hand...

Guacamole:
I love fresh guacamole. When you have avocados that are worth the work, nothing is as wonderful as a flavorful fresh guac. The downside is, guacamole takes a ton of chopping and time. Of course, it's totally worth it in the end and if you have a few friends who are decent with a knife, time can sail by. This recipe makes a ton, but then again we were a ton of people. Cut the recipe in half for a more manageable amount.

One word of advice before the recipe. Do not mix this, store this, or serve this in metal. Due to the limes and avocados, it will turn a particularly awful shade of brown that you wouldn't want to eat.

7 ripe avocados
1 1/2 large white onions (very important that you get white, not yellow onions)
5 large tomatillos
2 large jalapenos
1 large bunch of cilantro
1 pint of sweet cherry tomatoes, or 2 large very ripe regular tomatoes
1 tbs hot sauce
Juice of 3 limes
Salt to taste

-Chop onions and Jalapenos very finely (I removed the seeds and the pith from my jalapenos).
-Roughly chop cilantro, cut the tomatillos and tomatoes to the same size. Not too small though.
-Finally chop up avocados, not smaller than 1/2 inch - when you mix it all together they'll mash together anyway, you still want some chunky pieces in the end.
-Add hot sauce, lime juice, and salt to taste. Mix and serve.

Chili:
This is a really light and perfectly pleasant chili for summer days. I made it with chicken instead of beef, and kept the tomato base simple. Not much more to say except this was great when we ate it, but stellar the next day!

2 lbs ground chicken
3/4 of a 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes WITHOUT basil
1 29 oz. can pink beans (you can use red or pinto too)
3 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
1 tsp of garlic paste
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 tbs+ olive oil
4 3.52 oz. packets of Sazon
1 tsp hot sauce (of course add more if you want this spicier)
1 tbs red wine vinegar (optional, this really depends on the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. If they are already very tangy, don't use the vinegar. If they are sweeter and more mild, use it)
Salt & pepper to taste

-Saute the onions and fresh garlic in oil until soft and translucent.
-Add chicken and sautee until cooked through. You might need to add a little more oil.
-Add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and combine well. Add garlic paste, hot sauce, and sazon mix well.
-Let heat up together to boil then add the beans with their liquor, you don't want them turning to mush. Bring to a boil.
-Taste and add the vinegar (if needed), and salt & pepper to taste.
-I served this with a yellow rice and it was perfect.