Durban - With avocados now in season there’s no excuse not to add these nutritious fruits to your balanced diet for extra flavour and zing.
Avocados are the perfect partners for a low-carbohydrate lifestyle and also offer a great way to boost your daily intake of monounsaturated fats and essential nutrients such as potassium, folic acid and vitamin C.
The good news is that while avocados are rich and creamy, they’re packed with nutrients and are proven to be heart-healthy and effective fighters against “bad” cholesterol.
According to nutritionists, avocados are very high in omega-three fatty acids, the good kind of fat, in the form of alpha-linolenic acid, which accounts for about three-quarters of the calories in an avocado. Monounsaturated fats can help lower cholesterol and improve heart health.
Avocados also have a higher percentage of protein – about four grams – than other fruits. Their sugar levels are also comparatively low.Avocados contain many essential vitamins and minerals – spantothenic acid (vitamin B5), vitamin K and fibre, which aids digestion. Additionally, avocados are high in magnesium, phosphorus, iron and potassium, containing even more potassium per gram than bananas.
So, say goodbye to that “guilty pleasure” of sneaking a piece of avo from between the salad leaves and enjoy them with gusto – but, of course, like everything else, with a level of moderation.
The South African Avocado Growers’ Association has a range of tempting menu suggestions for this versatile, local delight.
ADD AN AVO – TO YOUR BREAKFAST
* Avo toast three ways:
poached egg and avo
Chorizo, goat’s cheese and avo
mashed avo with dukkah and freshly ground pepper
Slice, mash or smash avo on to a slice of toast. Top with a poached egg, chorizo and goat’s cheese, or a sprinkling of dukkah.
* Avocado and French toast, served with crispy bacon and maple syrup:
Add some glam to your French toast by topping it with avo and a drizzle of maple syrup or honey.
* Avo, Greek yoghurt, muesli and honey layered breakfast parfait:
Puree half an avo with a couple of tablespoons of plain yoghurt, spoon over muesli and drizzle with honey.
* Avocado and haddock kedgeree (serves four):
Cook one cup of brown basmati rice in two cups of water, until tender. Drain and rinse. Poach around 200g of haddock in milk until it flakes with a fork.
Fry the rice in a tablespoon of avocado oil (or olive oil), add the haddock, six spring onions sliced and a tablespoon of curry powder. Gently toss the fish into the rice. Slice in one whole avo and serve with hard-boiled egg quarters and garnish with fresh coriander, a grinding of black pepper and a good squeeze of lemon juice.
ADD AN AVO – TO YOUR SMOOTHIES
* Avo, banana and turmeric lassi (serves two):
Puree one avocado, one banana and one cup of plain yoghurt until smooth. Sprinkle with turmeric and serve.
* Avo and chocolate peanut butter smoothie (serves two):
Puree one avocado with two to three tablespoons chocolate peanut butter and one cup of milk or plain yoghurt.
* Avo merry-berry smoothie:
Puree one avocado with a handful of fresh or frozen berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or black berries). Add one cup of yoghurt and sweeten to taste with maple syrup, depending on the tartness of the berries.
ADD AN AVO – TO YOUR SNACKS OR LUNCH BOX
* Avocado hummus:
Puree one avocado with one can of chickpeas. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice, and serve with a drizzle of avocado oil (or olive oil). Serve with carrot sticks, celery strips or chunks of fresh bread.
* Mini chicken and avo sliders/burgers:
Take one large avo, 500g chicken mince, one teaspoon crushed garlic, one teaspoon herb seasoning, salt and pepper, and pulse-whizz everything together in a food processor. Take care not to over process the mixture. Shape into desired size patties and lightly fry in a hot pan with avocado oil (or olive oil).
* Avocado deviled eggs:
Boil, peel and halve six eggs. Remove the yolks and smash together with one small avo. Season with salt, pepper and dukkah, fill the egg white with the mixture and serve.
ADD AN AVO – TO YOUR DINNER
* Avo Asian beef stir fry:
Add slices of avo to your favourite beef stir-fry. Toss with thin egg noodles and drizzle over thick Indonesian soya sauce.
* Creamy avocado pasta sauce with zucchini noodles:
No cream (the avo makes it creamy), low-carb, wheat and gluten free.
Puree one to two avocados, toss with zucchini noodles and serve with toasted pine nuts and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
* Avocado, smoked salmon, pink grapefruit and radish salad:
Arrange slices of buttery-ripe avocado with pink grapefruit segments, radishes and sliced smoked salmon. Garnish with microgreens and serve with a grinding of black pepper.
* Avocado salad with seeds and sprouts:
Peel and quarter four to six avos, depending on their size. Toss with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a handful of sprouts, two tablespoons mixed seeds and a handful of chopped Italian parsley and serve immediately.
* Avocado potato salad:
Toss one to two large avocados with 500g boiled new potatoes, one to two tablespoons of white vinegar and garnish with chopped chives and freshly ground black pepper.
ADD AN AVO – TO YOUR BAKING
Avocado and coconut bread:
Low-carb, wheat and gluten free
1 large avocado, peeled & pureed until smooth
3 eggs
1 cup natural yoghurt
¼ cup maple syrup or agave syrup
1 cup coconut flour, sifted
½ cup desiccated coconut
½ teaspoon concentrated natural vanilla extract
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Preheat oven to 180c. Grease and line a small loaf tin (approximately 16 x 6 cm). Whisk the avo puree, eggs, yoghurt and syrup together. In a separate bowl combine the coconut flour, desiccated coconut and bicarb. Stir the liquid into the coconut mixture and stir in the vanilla extract. Spoon into prepared pan.
Bake for 35 minutes. Cover with foil and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool slightly before flipping onto a cooling tray. Leave to cool before cutting into thick slices.
The Mercury