Puerto Vallarta: relaxing, warm and great food

Sitting in front of me on the flight to Mexico was my sister, her husband and my darling nephew Charlie. Only six months old, I was expecting little Charlie to cry and scream his way down the Pacific coast but this wasn't how it was at all. He was happy and quiet, bouncing around and excited for what turned out to be a fabulous, sun-filled vacation.

Puerto Vallarta has fabulous beaches, a spectacular Malecon (or boardwalk) and lots of great Mexican food and seafood. The sandy beaches of Puerto Vallarta curve along the coastline and act as the meeting place between the postcard-perfect blue ocean and rocky cliffs where luxury homes and hotels are built into.


To celebrated my Dad's 60th birthday, the family all went down to Puerto Vallarta to spend a week at one of these luxury hotels - complete with our own private beach and all the food we could eat. Happily, I spent every day on the beach laying in the sun or under an umbrella, swimming or reading, eating and drinking. One of my favorite things to do each day was enjoying a plate full of chips, salsa and fresh guacamole in the afternoon. And drinking a Margarita.

While the guacamole was a little different each day, it was always fresh and delicious. On some days, it was simple and chunky flavored only with lime, garlic and the perfect amount of salt. On other days, the avocado was more blended and tomatoes, jalapenos, white onions and cilantro were added.

Here's my recipe for guacamole, one that closely resembles the dish I so much enjoyed each day. You could also add minced tomato, chilies or lemon juice instead of lime.



Guacamole

Ingredients
1-2 medium avocados, ripe
1-2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/8- 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

Directions
Cut the avocado(s) in half and remove the skins and pit, place in a bowl. Add lime juice, salt and garlic and mash together with a fork. Leave a few small chunks of avocado. Taste and adjust salt and lime juice to your liking.

Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!