The internet is rightly going gaga over the avocado trend. Right from liver to diabetes, or even weight loss, the miraculous avocado fruit has gained enormous popularity for being the healthiest monounsaturated fat. They are an excellent source of energy, vitamins (like iron, calcium, copper and zinc), and beneficial for the heart and skin. The huge fibre content in the avocado aids digestion and can leave you feeling fuller too.
So how do you eat the avocado? Avocado and toast is a classic, but let’s be creative shall we? If you thought that avocados are just for guac and salads, let us show you how you can do so much more with this delish super food!
1. Avocado Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
Chocolate is always the magic ingredient! Don’t skip out on the taste of chocolate but instead add more nutrition to your chocolate cravings with cacao powder. Raw cacao powder tastes similar to chocolate minus the fats and sugar. It has the highest anti-oxidant value of all natural food in the world, and minerals like iron, sulphur and magnesium make it the most sought after super food.
The avocado will not only give you a creamier thicker smoothie but also the good fats can reduce your cholesterol. Add to this, a dose of peanut butter for a daily dose of good fats, protein and vitamins. Also, peanut butter is yum. Period.
Ingredients:
- ½ large avocado (halved)
- 2 tbsp. Healthy Alternatives – Peanut Butter
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup
- 2 tbsp. cacao powder
- 1 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
- 1 banana (ripe and frozen)
- ½ tsp. cinnamon (optional)
Instructions:
1. Take all the ingredients and add them to the blender. Blend on high speed for 2-4 minutes, or until the smoothie is rich and creamy. Your healthy avocado breakfast is ready!
2. Avocado Pasta Recipe
Love your avocado but can’t bear to give up on those carbs? Well, to begin with, whole-wheat pasta or quinoa pasta are your friendly carbs and this recipe is so easy that it will become your dinner staple in no time. The creamy avocados are a much better healthy alternative to the butter and cream that you would otherwise include in your pasta. With the zest of lemon, sharp flavours of garlic and fresh herbs, are you ready to try the creamiest pasta recipe?
Ingredients:
- 3 cups Healthy Alternatives – Quinoa Gluten Free Pasta
- 2 medium avocados (halved and pitted)
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup baby spinach leaves
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- salt (to taste)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Optional: Parmesan cheese shavings, cherry tomatoes, or chopped fresh basil leaves
Instructions:
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook for 8 – 10 minutes, or as per the instructions on the package.
- Take a food processor or a blender and add the scooped avocado flesh, basil, spinach, garlic, lemon and olive oil. Blend for 1 minute. Season with salt and give it another whirl for 1 minute. Remove this to a large bowl.
- Drain the cooked pasta and add it to the sauce. Toss well to coat. Garnish with Parmesan cheese, cherry tomatoes and / or fresh basil for that power packed flavour.
3. Stuffed Avocado Spicy Beans and Feta Cheese
Beans are a vegetarian’s best friend, and beans with avocado is a power-packed dish! This super speedy meal is packed with vegetarian sources of protein coming from black beans and dense nutrition coming from avocados. The addition of feta which by-the-way, is considered to be the world’s healthiest cheese, just adds a punch of flavour. You can also count on feta to provide you with probiotics that improve your gut. So, we got protein, calcium and healthy fats. We bet you’re convinced enough and want to know how to make this!
Ingredients:
- 3 small avocados
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- ½ tsp. cumin seeds
- 1 cup red kidney beans (canned)
- 1 tbsp. lime juice
- 2 tomatoes (diced)
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 1 green chilli (deseeded and finely chopped)
- 3 tbsp. coriander (finely chopped)
- ½ cup feta cheese
- salt (to taste)
Instructions:
- Rinse the outside of the avocado, destone and halve them. Take a small pan heat oil and add cumin seeds, onion, chillies, and garlic. Mix tomatoes, corn, and beans. Season with lime juice, coriander, and salt. Add the crumbled feta cheese to this.
- Fill the scooped avocados with this mixture. Sprinkle some more feta cheese.
4. Avocado & Tofu Wrap
Avocado is only for Tex – Mex right? What if we told you it is the secret ingredient to a delightful Asian food too? Crunchy lettuce leaves, protein rich flavoured tofu topped with sliced avocado! Sounds yum? With this dish you can fulfil all your cravings for scrumptious food, without worrying about the carbs! And, since avocados are fibre-rich this will leave you feeling full till dinner time. Say goodbye to mid-day cravings!
Ingredients:
- 300 gms firm tofu (cut into small pieces)
- 1/2 tbsp. garlic
- 1/2 tbsp. chilli powder
- salt to taste
- 3 green onions (sliced)
- 1 cup sweet corn kernels
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 green chillies (sliced)
- 1 tbsp. chilly basil sauce (optional)
- 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
- 6 romaine lettuce leaves (large leaves)
Instructions:
- Heat the oil in a skillet and shallow fry the tofu till most of the liquid cooks off and it turns golden brown. Once it’s done, keep it aside.
- Heat some oil in the same skillet and add green onions, garlic, chillies and fry for a minute. Throw in the tofu and season with chilli powder, salt, and soy sauce. Lastly, add the boiled corn and let it cook for another few minutes till the liquid from the soy sauce has been absorbed. Turn off the heat, add vinegar and mix it using a large spoon.
- Pile this mixture into individual romaine lettuce leaves, then dress it up with avocado slices. Fold this lettuce and chow it down!
All set to let your inner MasterChef work its magic? But what about the ingredients? Go to the Nature’s Basket store and cook away!
Understand the full power of this amazing fruit by reading about Why Avocado Is A Superfood.
