Recipe: baked guacamole and bacon wontons

I'm always looking for new recipes.  I love to cook, I love to eat and love experimenting in the kitchen.  Sometimes I see a recipe and think, 'oh, that might be good.' However, sometimes there are recipes that I see, like the one I'm going to share, that I think, 'I MUST HAVE!!!' I don't know about you but I personally think bacon makes life worth living.  I don't think I could ever make a lifestyle change that wouldn't allow me to eat bacon on occasion. Turkey bacon is OK if you're trying to be health conscious but there is nothing quite like a nice, crispy piece of cured pig!

Not only do I love bacon but guacamole is one of my personal favorites.  It's a bit higher in calories than a lot of dips but there are really good nutrients in avocado and that fat is good for you.  So when I saw a recipe that combined the goodness of bacon with the manna that is guacamole I knew I simply had to have it.  Of course I tweaked the original recipe (who's shocked??) but these little pockets of bacony goodness turned out fantastically! I'll share the recipe as posted and then follow with my alterations.

You will need:

• 4 slices bacon
• 2 medium avocados
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 red onion, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 12 wonton wrappers
• oil for frying

1. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and allow to cool. Once cool crumble into pieces.
   
2. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise and remove the pit. Scoop the flesh of the avocado into a bowl. Mash the avocado with a fork, until mostly smooth.
   
3. Mix in lime juice, cumin, chili powder, red onion and salt. Stir in bacon. Chill for at least 30 minutes to give the flavors a chance to meld.
   
4. When you are ready to cook the wontons, place 1 heaping teaspoon of the guacamole in the center of the wonton wrapper. Dip your finger into a bowl of water and run your finger along the edges of the wrapper. Fold bottom corner of the wrapper over the filling  and press all edges to close the wrapper, you’ll have a triangle.
   
5. Heat 1 inch of oil in a pan to 350 degrees. Fry wontons, in batches if necessary, until golden brown. About 1 minute. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with kosher salt. Allow to cool several minutes. Serve.

I didn't particularly care for the guacamole recipe provided above.  It didn't have enough flavor or spice for me.  I added some minced garlic and a few dashes of hot sauce to bring it up to my taste.  If you have a recipe that you prefer or a store bought guacamole that you like I say go ahead and use that.

I also decided to not fry my wontons.  I have a recipe for baked crab Rangoon and decided if I can bake Rangoon I can bake wontons.  Instead of frying, I simply placed the finished wontons in a baking dish, sprayed lightly with cooking spray and baked at 400 degrees for 12 minutes.  They were very crisp and nice when I took them out of the oven.

I made these for lunch yesterday and they were delicious.  If you'd like I'm sure they would be good dipped in salsa or sour cream but I thought they were perfect just they way they were!