Wednesday 30 July 2014

Avocado advocate


I LOVE avocado.

Ok, so for a fruit it is rather calorie and fat laden, but I don't care, it's not exactly a deep fried marsbar is it!? The fat in an avocado is the good kind, kind of like WD40 for the joints and any help I can get keeping my bits and pieces supple, I'm taking it.

Apart from having lots of vitamin C and E (good for skin), potassium, iron, folate etc, avocados are also a good way to get your vitamin B6 which is super handy for lots of reasons especially where the nervous system is involved, but the one I'm most interested in is the job it plays in mood regulation and mental function...avocado is a super happy fruit!

But apart from all of that it just tastes so yummy and is so versatile it can be used pretty much however you like.


I eat it for breakfast in my smoothies where it gives a lovely creamy thick texture without adding any weird veg taste;

I have it in salads; I spread it on toast instead of butter;  I mush it up to make a kind of guacamole;

I spoon it straight out of the skin with a squeeze of lemon juice (which tastes nice but also stops the flesh going brown.  What I had today for lunch as it happens).

I mixed it into scrambled egg the other day as well which worked surprisingly well.

 Even my most favourite sandwich ever has avocado in it.

This evening I was planning on making one of our favourite dinners.  This dinner sounds like the most boring random collection of stuff on a plate ever and I was very very dubious when I first made it, but it is so so yummy.  I don't even remember where I first saw the idea but basically all you do is this:
Chop up an avocado, a mango and a nice big beef tomato, put it on 2 plates, add some butter beans, sprinkle some light dressing over the top.

That's it.  I promise it is such a delicious combo and it is really filling despite not really having much actually in it.

Anyway, that's what I was going to make but I suddenly couldn't really be bothered.  I don't know why, it's not like it involves much of anything at all really other than throwing stuff on a plate, but sometimes I just don't really even feel like having to use a knife and fork!

So, I made our favourite sandwich instead.

Again, sounds completely rubbish and boring but is such a fab flavour combo:

Toasted wholemeal or granary or some kind of nice whole brown bread.
Whatever butter/mayo type spread you fancy (I used houmous tonight to add some protein)
Half an avo and half a big juicy tomato
sea salt & black pepper.

That's it! SO yummy. And no need for the knife and fork :).

Anybody else got any other handy avocado tips? I'd love to hear them...