If you love fatty, creamy, hearty foods but don’t want the saturated fat and cholesterol that come along with them, then super-satisfying, super-healthy avocados are the ticket! Though I’m not pregnant and have no plans to become so, I’m having pregnancy-like cravings for this mild, nutty-flavoured fruit. I can’t get enough of it! Even my dog, Lexi, is on the avocado-eating bandwagon, scarfing back slice after slice like it’s jerky-treat-wrapped beef tenderloin.
Avocados are inexpensive and available all year ’round for roughly $1.49 each. If you’re planning on eating the avocado the day you buy it, make sure it’s ripe. If you press down on it with your thumb, it should give slightly. Rock-hard avocados take a couple days to ripen and I usually leave mine on the window sill with my tomatoes. (Thinking out loud here: Why is it “avocados” and not “avocadoes” when the plural of tomato is “tomatoes”?) Peeling avocados is a cinch: Using a sharp knife, slice the avocado along the north-south axis (I hold my knife steady and rotate the avocado around the knife, with the blade pressed against the pit). Grab each half and twist the avocado open. The halves should separate easily. If not, your avocado is not ripe and will be completely flavourless. (I’m convinced that people who don’t like avocados have only eaten the unripe version!) To remove the pit, lay the pit-wielding avocado half skin-side down on a cutting board and whack the pit with the blade of a sharp knife. Watch your fingers, please!! The knife will “catch” the pit; twist the knife and the pit will pop right out. Slice the avocado halves into 4 wedges each and peel off the thick skin. Again, if removing the pit or peeling off the skin doesn’t come effortlessly, the avocado is not ripe, so whirl it around in the food processor and slather it on your face for an instant moisturizing mask, but don’t bother eating it!
Here are my favourite ways to enjoy the luscious avocado: 1) Mash and spread on multigrain toast with a sprinkling of sea salt; 2) Make guacamole and serve it with multigrain pita chips; 3) Slice or mash and layer on a sandwich or burger instead of mayonnaise; 4) Slice or chop and add to any tossed salad; and 5) Slice it and eat it totally naked… probably my favourite way to eat an avocado (the avocado is naked… I’m not naked when I eat it!) I just peel it, slice it, and shove it straight into my mouth. Oh yeah…6) sliced avocados are a great addition to fajitas, too!
Many people fear eating any kind of fat, but we really do need good fats in our diet, as my big sis has told you about a hundred times. So, skip the greasy chips, high-fat cheeses, fried foods and artery-clogging trips to the drive-thru and enjoy one of life’s great (natural!) pleasures instead. Your body will thank you! (Hey, Janet: Perhaps you could explain some of the nutritional benefits of eating avocados when you get a second… you’re much better at it than I am!)
7 responses so far ↓
1 Albert Fortin // Jun 18, 2007 at 9:42 pm
Where is the Santoku Blog ?
2 Albert Fortin // Jun 18, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Eccuse-me Dear I hadn’t gone far enough! In case you wish to know I use your blogs to teach my english pupils. I like your way of writing .
3 Margo // Jun 20, 2007 at 11:07 pm
Hi Greta,
I too love avocados; they are a staple in my diet. Did you know that apparently in Brazil, avocados are eaten more as desserts than as a savory food, as we use them? Here’s a simple recipe which I’ve tried, the result tasting like a kiwi pudding, with that silky texture only an avocado could provide. I hope you like it.
Avocado Cream:
3 “perfect” avocados (you know the kind), peeled, stoned and cut in small pieces
8 oz. fresh OJ
Juice from 1 lime
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
Blenderize until smooth and creamy. Place in serving dishes and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Yummy.
Now you must have a brazilian ways to eat an avocado! ha ha ha …
4 Greta // Jun 21, 2007 at 5:57 pm
Margo, that’s very funny! A brazilian ways to eat avocado….ha! I will try your avocado dessert for sure. Since you are so witty, perhaps you could help us name a new recipe: it’s a colourful summer salad with corn, black beans, avocado, mango, grape tomatoes, red bell peppers, green onions, lime, olive oil, cilantro and a hint of cumin and chili powder. We’re stumped!
5 Margo // Jun 22, 2007 at 1:07 am
Hmmm… I’m not really that witty, I just steal other people’s wit. Nonetheless, my 7 year old daughter and I will put our heads together. She LOVES your puns (and likes to come up with her own), and your tv show which she watches once with me on Tuesday (if we can) and again on Saturday morning with her dad before they make pancakes! She’s being groomed already to eat healthy and have fun. Thank you for being great role models. We’ll let you know if we come up with something… what a yummy sounding salad!!
6 Margo // Jun 22, 2007 at 10:57 am
Okay, this salad sounds like a veritable parade to me. It’s so colorful, interesting, and busy like a parade with lots of surprises. . “Fiesta your eyes and tastebuds on this parade of flavors… blah, blah, blah” I don’t know… another word that comes to mind is papparazzi. Or fireworks? I seem to be a little swayed by the summer celebration theme, don’t I? Those are my initial inspirations. Ciao for now!
7 Dawna // Jun 25, 2007 at 4:13 pm
I just heard you on cfrb and you were talking about this black bean and corn recipe but I can’t find the website you have it posted on. It sounds so yummy and I LOOVE avocados!! …as does my whole family, including three, 3 and under!
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