While cooking, listen to this: Pink + White - Frank Ocean

As I sit at my desk on this blustery afternoon, my mind naturally turns to what I'm going to eat for dinner. Do I want to spend a couple hours at the grocery store, stirring and measuring and roasting after a long day?

Fuck no. I want a bowl the size of my head filled with guacamole. With some crunchy things to dip thrown in for balance. A reasonable request, I would say.

Guacamole is one of my go-to not-dinner dinner items. Usually I just mash some avocado with lemon juice and salt and go to town, but now that spring is [technically] here I'm ready for some color. Pomegranate seeds look like jewels and shine bright through delicious avocado fat. Add some jalapeno bits for some more green and a slap of heat and your guacamole is all dressed up and ready for the Armory Party.

Not that I advocate you eating guacamole for your whole meal, but I will say that this stuff is GOOD for you, body and brain. I've talked about this before, but I'll say it again (and probably again, and again, ad nauseum): there is a gigantic, blaring, neon link between junk food and depression, as well as between a healthy diet and a potentially healthier mind. I have dealt with my fair share of depression and mental illness, and even though I'm over the proverbial hump, I notice that I wake up a lot more sparkly when I've eaten well the day before. Eating foods like this pomegranate guacamole, loaded with healthy fat and antioxidants, make me better able to face the day. And it's a damn tasty way to do it!

So whip up a bowl of this green delicious mush. It'll take you ten minutes from start to finish, and not only is it great with some chips or cut up veggies, I discovered that it is delicious with some roasted sweet potatoes as well. Get those vitamins into your face, then round it out with some killer chocolate mousse. Sounds like the ideal dinner to me.

Love and meows, Rina

SPICY POMEGRANATE GUACAMOLE

Yield: 2-3 servings

Total Cook Time: 10m (includes all veggie prep)

Category: Snacks, Dips, Vegan, Gluten-Free, No-Cook

Ingredients

1 pomegranate, deseeded*

2 large ripe avocados

1 large or 2 small jalapenos, seeds and membranes removed, finely diced

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ cup finely diced red onion

Juice from ½ lime

Salt and pepper, to taste

Optional: 2-3 Tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped**

*Our favorite way to do this is to cut the pomegranate into sections and then remove the seeds in a bowl of water. The seeds will sink to the bottom and the pithy bits will float. Skim off the bits and then drain the seeds.

**Rina HATES cilantro and omits it whenever possible.

Instructions

Scoop out the avocado with a spoon and mash with a fork in a medium bowl - we prefer our guacamole with some avocado bits, rather than a homogeneous paste, so if you're like us don't go crazy with the mashing. Fold in most of the pomegranate seeds, reserving some for garnish, the jalapenos, garlic, red onion, juice of ½ lime and cilantro, if using. Season with salt and pepper to taste, as well as more lime, garlic or red onion if necessary. Garnish with the remaining pomegranate seeds and cilantro (again, if using). Serve immediately with chips and cut up veggies.

To keep: you can keep this in the fridge for a day or two in a tightly sealed container or with plastic wrap directly on the guacamole. It will turn brown on the top either way but will still taste good the next day - just stir it all together before eating.