Guacamole with Spicy Cucumbers and Radishes, this is what makes life worth living.

While I love me some avocado on just about everything, nothing marries my heart to my stomach quite like a big ol’ bowl of mushed up guacamole. In the pit of my heart (and stomach), I truly believe avocados were put on this earth solely for guacamole. Avocado as salad toppings or pressed into buttery avocado oil, is just an added bonus gifted to us by Mexico and Central America. Needless to say, this recipe for Guacamole with Spicy Cucumbers and Radishes is a go-to on the weekly rotation around here.

Since I can put away an entire molcajete full of guac within minutes, I eventually realized that I needed to ease up on the tortilla chips or I’d wind up resembling an avocado with arms and legs. This recipe for Guacamole with Spicy Cucumbers and Radishes celebrates the lighter side of the classic snack by replacing the bottomless bowl of deep fried tortilla chips with sturdy slices of light and healthy cucumbers and spicy radishes. The cucs and radishes get spritzed with a zesty dose of lime juice then sprinkled with flaky salt and spicy red pepper flakes to bring the heat. They are so satisfying, I swear you’ll never even miss the chips.

My guacamole is fairly basic, with a few minor tweaks to let that avocado shine. I like to use shallots in place of onions so things don’t get overpowered with onion fumes. I use plenty of cilantro for herby freshness and spice it up with finely chopped serrano chiles. Then I cut all of that rich avocado fat with loads of fresh squeezed lime and briney, crunchy sea salt flakes. I top it all off with thin slices of serrano chiles and toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for a crunchy hit. The flavor combo in my Guacamole with Spicy Cucumbers and Radishes is fresh and balanced with just the right amounts of salt, fat acid and heat. FYI if you don’t already have it, get the book, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, it’ll change your life in the kitchen.

I first had the combo of Guacamole with Spicy Cucumbers at my #1, all-time, hands-down, far and away, favorite restaurant in Portland, OR, ¿Por Qué No?. Since there is no way on earth I could ever recreate their to-die-for Barbacoa topped Bryan’s Bowl, seasonally inspired veggie tacos or ass kicking pints of spicy house made margaritas, I can at least mimic the PQN staple and make my own Guacamole with Spicy Cucumbers and Radishes here at home in in California.

Whenever I’m homesick for squeezing into the itty bitty, hole in the wall in my old Portland neighborhood, I crank the 90s hip hop (just like they do at PQN) mash up some Guacamole with Spicy Cucumbers and Radishes and call my best friend, Bridget, to reminisce about our fave little taco shop in all of the land.

My guacamole is pretty simple and the ingredients strike a perfect balance between salt, fat, acid and heat.

Who doesn’t love the luscious beauties? Avocados on everything, please!

Scoop a loop! This can only mean good things are happening.

If I am feeling lazy, sometimes I let the food processor do all of the work for me. But, I never over mix, I like my guac chunky.

But, I always stir in the tomatoes to keep them chunky and fresh.

I love the cucumbers and radishes in place of tortilla chips but I still miss that crunchy bite sometimes, so I add toasted pepitas to give the guac a crunchy boost!

Thick and sturdy slices of cucumbers and radishes get hit with a healthy spritz of zesty lime juice, fiery red chile flakes and crunchy salt just before serving.