February 23, 2007
· Filed under Recipes, avocado, nutrition, vitamins, websites, yummy
As you may be able to tell, I am rather obsessed with avocado. Avocados are so delicious and nutritious, and great in sandwiches, salads and dips. Today I found a fantastic website devoted entirely to avocados!! The site is http://www.avocado.org and is full of recipes and info on this marvellous food! I’m certainly going to try some recipes, but first here’s some info on the avocado from this site:
Avo Facts
- Avocados are a fruit, not a vegetable, belonging to the genus Persea in the Lauraceae family.
- Avocados are sodium- and cholesterol-free and have only five grams of fat per serving, most of it the monounsaturated kind.
- Avocados were once a luxury food reserved for the tables of royalty, but now avocados are enjoyed around the world by people from all walks of life.
- Brazilians add avocados to ice cream
- Filipinos puree avocados with sugar and milk for a dessert drink.
- Latin Americans wrap avocados up and give them as wedding gifts.
- The avocado is also called an Alligator Pear because of its pear-like shape and green skin.
- Avocado is a corruption of the Spanish word aguacate, which is in turn a corruption of the Aztec word ahuacatl.
- About 43% of all U.S. households buy avocados.
nutrition details of avocado
- One-fifth of a medium avocado or about one ounce is 55 calories, but contributes beneficial nutrients such as fiber, potassium, Vitamin E and lutein to the diet.
- Avocados act as a “nutrient booster” by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha- and beta-carotene as well as lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit.
- Avocados provide more than 25 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins, and folic acid.
- One-fifth of a medium avocado has 55 calories and provides beneficial phytochemicals such as glutathione, beta-sitosterol, and lutein. Phytonutrients are thought to help prevent many chronic diseases.
- Avocados are a good source of fiber and fiber may help maintain heart health.
- When used instead of other fats, avocados contain over 25 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients and can be part of a calorie-reduced diet.
- Avocados are a good way to get more lutein in the diet. An ounce of avocado contains 77 micrograms of lutein.
This recipe looks fabulous I must try it!
Avocado Gourmet Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 11/16 Cups very warm water
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 ½ Tbsp vegetable oil or avocado oil
- 1 1/3 Cups unbleached white flour
- Toppings
- ½ Cup diced tomato
- 1 ¼ Cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 1 Cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
- 2 California Avocados, seeded, peeled and sliced
Instructions
- Dissolve yeast in very warm water with sugar. Let stand to soften, 5 minutes.
- Stir salt and oil. Add flour as needed, beating until smooth and elastic.
- Knead until springy 8-10 minutes.
- Placed in a greased bowl and turn dough to grease top.
- Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled (40-45 minutes).
- Line a 12″ pizza pan with dough. Top dough with tomato, cheese, basil and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Bake in a pizza oven 8-10 minutes.
- Place avocado slices in a pinwheel fashion. Serve.
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February 14, 2007
· Filed under Recipes, avocado, vegan
This is the delicious meal/snack I have often and in fact had for dinner last night. It’s a variation on the traditional avocado and tomato on toast and is ridiculously easy. As you can probably tell I have a big thing for avocado! This recipe is completely vegan provided the bread and cooking margarine etc you use contain no dairy or other surprises. Enjoy !
Avo, tomato, and onions on toast
What you will need:
1 avocado – soft rather than hard but not too soft
1-2 tomatoes
1 onion
Salt
Pepper
Soy sauce
Mixed herbs
Cooking spray/oil/butter/margarine etc
A few slices of wholegrain bread (I love ploughmans)
Put 2 slices of bread in the toaster, repeating as necessary (I would generally say 2-3 slices for each person). While that is toasting, slice the onion up into rings or dice into small pieces. Fry them up in a pan with the cooking spray or oil etc. Add a little soy sauce and mixed herbs or any herbs you enjoy. When cooked through remove from heat and set aside.
Slice the tomatoes thinly. Take the avocado and cut in half, using a butter knife spread the avocado over each piece of toast as if it were butter. Place 2-3 slices of tomato on top of each piece of toast. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pile the set aside onions on top et voila you’re done! Many variations can be made to this recipe, including substituting mushrooms for onions. It’s quick, cheap and easy and makes a tasty little snack any vegan, veggie or carnivore alike can enjoy 
I’ll try post a photo of this for you soon
xo xo
Miss V 
February 14, 2007
· Filed under Recipes, avocado, lunch, non-vegetarian partner, yummy
Today I met my non-vege Valentine for lunch. He had made us the most delicious (and vegan!) sandwiches for lunch. What a sweetie. We took them and ate them on the wharf.
They were made from:
- wholemeal Ploughman’s brand bread
- tomato
- avocado
- red onion
- lettuce
A delicious and nutritious sandwich I recommend trying for lunch. I’m going to tag this as a recipe even though it’s not really oops naughty I promise to be better in future!
Anyway after this we went and had banana and berry smoothies. It was perfect.
He is doing very well for a carnivore! I don’t try to make him eat vegetarian, I tell him he can eat whatever he wants to and that he can eat meat in front of me, because whilst I don’t advocate eating meat etc he has the right to choose to eat it and I’d rather lead by example than try to force vegetarianism upon him. It seems to be working well!
xoxo
Miss V
