What to cook with avocado: 9 cool, healthy and satisfying recipes

Vitamin boost

Avocado is a storehouse of nutrients. It contains B vitamins, essential for the functioning of the brain and the entire nervous system. This fruit also contains a lot of “heart” macroelements - potassium and magnesium. Avocados are also full of vitamin E, which makes the skin elastic and beautiful. Beauty should not only be on the face, but also on the plate. That's why we'll prepare a delicious salad with smoked chicken, avocado and mango.

Ingredients:

• smoked chicken fillet - 200 g
• avocado - 1 pc.
• mango - 0.5 pcs.
• arugula - 0.5 bunch
• pine nuts - a handful

Refueling:

• grainy mustard - 1 tbsp. l.
• liquid honey - 1 tbsp. l.
• olive oil - 3 tbsp. l.
• salt and black pepper - to taste

Cut the avocado and mango pulp into thin wide slices. Cut the smoked chicken fillet into large pieces. Gently tear the arugula leaves with your hands. We beautifully arrange avocado, chicken and mango on a plate, sprinkle with toasted pine nuts, and decorate with arugula leaves. Season the salad with salt and pepper, pour over a dressing of grainy mustard, lemon juice and olive oil.

Nutritional value, vitamin composition and calorie content of avocado

Avocado

- the fruit of a tree belonging to the laurel family. This plant grows in places with a characteristic tropical, subtropical climate. Mostly this is Africa, North America, Jordan, Mexico, Israel. In our country, this evergreen plant cannot develop due to the unsuitable climate.

According to botanical indicators, avocado is a single-seeded berry. The shape of the fruit is pear-shaped, elongated (up to 20 cm in length). The weight of a large ripe fruit reaches 300 grams. But samples of medium and small sizes - weighing from 100 to 200 grams - are of particular value.

The outside color of the ripe fruit is deep green. The pulp has a soft green color, turning into a yellow tint (closer to the core). The avocado pit is large, thick-skinned, with a dense core. The color is bronze-brown or dark olive.

The pulp is edible. Avocados are eaten and also used as a raw material for the production of cosmetic and edible oils.

Avocados are about 73% water, 15% fat, 8.5% carbohydrates—mostly fiber—and 2% protein.

Half an avocado, about 100 grams (g), contains 160 calories.

Although the official serving of an avocado is a fifth of the fruit (30 g), the average consumption is half an avocado (68 g), which provides nutritional value consisting of the following components

:

• dietary fiber (4.6 g);
• total sugar (0.2 g);
• potassium (345 mg);
• sodium (5.5 mg);
• magnesium (19.5 mg);
• vitamin A (43 mg);
• vitamin C (6.0 mg);
• vitamin E (1.3 mg);
• vitamin K1 (14 mcg);
• folic acid (60 mg);
• vitamin B-6 (0.2 mg);
• niacin (1.3 mg);
• pantothenic acid (1.0 mg);
• riboflavin (0.1 mg);
• choline (10 mg);
• lutein/zeaxanthin (185 mcg);
• phytosterols (57 mg).

It is also worth considering the benefits of avocado for women and men.

For women, avocado is beneficial due to the folic acid content in this fruit - up to 90 mcg per medium-sized avocado, about 23% of the total daily value. This component is important for the formation of a healthy background in a woman’s reproductive system.

This saturation with folic acid has a particularly beneficial effect during the period of preparation for conception and during pregnancy. But in general, folic acid is an important component for the female body.

Avocado is rich in vitamin E, K, C, antioxidants, which is good for maintaining youthful skin and blood vessels.

It is worth noting that the soft green, oily pulp is useful not only for eating, but also for external use. Avocado masks nourish and saturate the skin and hair with beneficial microelements, which helps maintain youth and elasticity of the upper layer of the dermis at the cellular level and improve the condition of the hair.

The male body needs rich protein foods high in healthy fatty acids. Avocado comes in handy here.

Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids enhance brain function. Saturation with vitamins, minerals, and vegetable protein is the key to a positive effect on the genitourinary system.

There is an opinion that eating avocados has a beneficial effect on male potency. Also, the benefits of avocado for men are due to the presence of potassium, magnesium and zinc in it.

Despite the high fat content and nutritional value, the fruit is not a heavy food and does not disrupt the normal balance of body weight, but on the contrary is beneficial.

In what form and quantity should you eat avocados to get maximum benefits?

Avocado is used to make smoothies, sandwiches, sauces, salads and other various dishes, as it is very tasty and healthy for the body.

Despite its beneficial properties, you should not exceed the daily norm due to its high calorie content (on average 160 kcal per 100 g).

In order for the effect on the body to have only positive consequences, it is necessary to adhere to the dosage and not eat more than 200 grams of avocado per day. This is the maximum allowed norm; on average, you can limit yourself to half a small fruit per day.

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There's a part of an avocado that you shouldn't miss to get the most benefits.

“The greener the color of the avocado, the higher the concentration of health-promoting chlorophylls and carotenoids.”

When we scoop out the flesh of an avocado with a spoon, we often avoid the flesh that is close to the skin. If this sounds familiar, be sure to give it a try next time, as the carotenoids found in this part are great for glowing skin, and thanks to the antioxidants, they can also help fight free radical damage.

The riper the avocado, the darker its color and richer its flavor. With this in mind, try not to cut the avocado too early. Be patient and know that if you wait until it's ready, you'll get more out of this fatty fruit.

When is it better to eat avocado - in the morning or in the evening?

Scientists have discovered a substance in this fruit that can disrupt sleep patterns if consumed late in the evening.

Avocado contains a beneficial amino acid called tyramine. This acid can slow down the process of falling asleep because it causes the release of the hormone norepinephrine. Norepinephrine is considered a stress hormone, preparing the brain and body for activity. This hormone is most effective during intense training, so it is unlikely that you need to increase it when preparing for bed.

Therefore, it is better to eat avocados from morning to lunch. For dinner, it is better to give preference to foods that will not interfere with quality sleep. Avocado for breakfast helps to quickly awaken metabolic processes and give the body a boost of energy for the whole day.

Avocados should only be eaten fresh, since heat treatment significantly reduces the content of unsaturated fatty acids and the product acquires an unpleasant bitterness.

Avocado is a great alternative to butter

You can safely replace it with this fruit, and baking will become more healthy; this life hack is often used in vegan baking.

Avocado can replace mayonnaise

You can add avocado instead of mayonnaise to tuna or egg salads. The creamy texture of the dish will remain and it will become healthier.

Decorate the toast with avocado slices

This simple vegetable peeler trick will make your breakfast not only delicious, but also beautiful.

Surely you are used to cutting an avocado vertically and removing the pit with a knife or spoon.

There is an easier way: cut the fruit crosswise and simply squeeze the seed out. If the avocado is ripe, this won't be too difficult.

What is it - avocado

Before you understand how to prepare an exotic fruit, you need to understand its characteristics.

Avocado is a fruit that grows on a tree more than 18 m high. It has an oval or spherical shape. The fruit has a seed and a rough skin that has different shades of green. Another name for avocado is alligator pear. The fruit has a unique composition.

The fruit is rich in a large number of useful substances, including vitamins, minerals, fiber and organic acids. It contains essential amino acids.

How many calories are in half an avocado? The energy value of 100 g of fruit is 164 kcal. The weight of 1 fruit is 250 g. Therefore, the calorie content of half an avocado is 170-230 kcal.

The fruits are actively cultivated, as they have high nutritional value for vegetarian and dietary nutrition.

Moderate consumption of the fruit has a positive effect on the heart and blood vessels. A high concentration of vitamin C strengthens the immune system and improves the strength of blood vessels. The fruit prevents premature aging of the skin, eliminates wrinkles and improves the elasticity of the dermis. Avocado prevents problems associated with blood clotting and lowers blood pressure.

Thanks to the positive properties, fruit dishes are tasty and nutritious. Therefore, you need to learn how to choose the right avocado. More on this later.

Is it edible if

The correct choice of ripe fruit is important so that it is suitable as a food component. You can buy unripe persea and store it at home for several days so that the fruit reaches the desired condition. A ripe avocado is dark green, almost black. You should not buy avocados that are suspiciously brown in color. If the fruit is damaged, with signs of spoilage, then the overseas exotic should be discarded.

When choosing an alligator pear, pay attention to its color. Ripe fruits can be distinguished by their color range: from dark green to black. When pressed, a dent remains on the ripe fruit; the stem easily breaks off, revealing a green peel underneath. The contents should not be eaten if the flesh is soft to the touch.

Green

Fans of exotic novelties are interested in how to properly eat green avocados. You can eat unripe persea, but the flesh is coarse and tasteless, so eating it is a dubious pleasure.

With black dots inside

If the purchased avocado is intact on the outside and has all the signs of a healthy fruit, but contains black spots on the inside. It is undesirable to eat such exotic food. You can remove the dark spots and eat the yellow pulp, but its taste will not match the fresh overseas fruit.

The pulp has darkened

Buyers are interested in whether it is possible to eat an avocado if its flesh has darkened. You can eat it, but the real taste of fresh fruit is lost, so the quality of the dishes will differ from what was intended. Dark flesh indicates that the fruit was stored in unsuitable conditions or was exposed to sudden temperature changes.

How to peel the fruit

Before preparing fruit, many women wonder whether it is necessary to peel it. It turns out that the fetus must be subjected to such a procedure.

How to properly peel an avocado? Initially, the fruit must be washed. The avocado needs to be pureed and prepared for cutting. This is done in several ways and depends on the shape of the fruit:

1. If the fruit is pear-shaped, then a cut is made along its entire circumference with a sharp knife. It should reach the bone. Then the halves are separated from each other. You can remove the pit using a knife or fork. The result is two avocado halves that look like saucers. Using a spoon, you can start cutting the pulp, having first drawn cubes or plates with it. The skin is removed from the fruit. Then the peeled fruit is crushed into pieces or made into a puree.
2. How to cut an avocado? If the shape of the fruit is spherical, then the procedure is repeated in the same way, but in a transverse section. In this case, cups are obtained.

Otherwise, there are no special differences in the method of cutting an avocado. The fruit seed is inedible, so it should not be eaten. After all, it is a source of a dangerous toxin called persin. If ingested, it can cause an eating disorder or an allergic reaction. In significant quantities - lead to death.

The same toxins are also contained in the peel of the fruit. Therefore, avocados are best consumed in the form of completely peeled pulp.

What can you cook

There are simple and delicious salads with avocado. For those who want to lose excess weight, as well as saturate the body with essential vitamins and microelements, you can prepare a special dish. This includes a dietary salad.

The following ingredients are required:

• half an avocado;
• egg;
• fresh or pickled cucumber;
• 50 g green onions;
• 20 g olive oil.

The salad recipe is simple to implement. Boiled egg and cucumber cut into cubes. Chop the onion. Before serving, add chopped avocado to the salad and season with olive oil. This is done to prevent the fruit from turning black.

The result is a low-calorie dish. It is perfect for people who want to lose weight.

What to cook with avocado quickly and tasty? Sandwich components include:

• fresh bread or crispy toast;
• crushed fruit pulp;
• salmon;
• hard cheese.

Spread the resulting mass onto bread. Place salmon on top. Grate the cheese onto a coarse grater and sprinkle on the sandwich. Thanks to avocado, the taste of salmon becomes especially delicate.

You can make soup from the fruit, which is tasty and nutritious. The cooking process is simple. The following ingredients are required for the soup:

• chicken broth - 1 liter;
• one avocado;
• 2-3 cloves of garlic;
• greenery.

Peel the fruit and grind it in a blender. Add broth. Beat the resulting mixture until smooth and cool. Before serving, add fried onions and herbs to the plate.

Mexican tortillas are among the original spicy snacks. To prepare this dish you need to use the following products:

• 2-3 pcs. sweet pepper;
• 20 large shrimp;
• avocado;
• 20 g lime juice;
• 1 tbsp. spoon of olive oil;
• spices;
• 4 thin flatbreads.

Make a paste from half an avocado, 2 peppers and 4 shrimp. Add olive oil, lime juice and spices to the mixture. Spread this mixture onto the flat cakes. Place the remaining peppers, avocado, and shrimp on tortillas. Roll them into cones.

My guacamole recipe

A relative who lives in sunny California taught me how to make guacamole, and I often remember his kind words for this recipe. It's simple, but gives amazingly tasty results.

• Place the peeled avocado into the blender bowl. You can have two if they are small.
• 1 medium tomato or handful of cherry tomatoes
• Garlic, salt, lemon juice, or better yet lime juice
• Add olive oil generously
• We press start. The gruel turns out incredibly tasty and aromatic. And satisfying. And keto-friendly. In general, I recommend it.
• You can also easily spread it on keto bread, for which I also have a recipe. Click on the blue link!

How to eat fruit correctly

How to store cut avocado? After peeling, the tender pulp of the fruit is best used immediately. When exposed to air it becomes dark.

It is not recommended to store avocados in the refrigerator. At low temperatures, fruits begin to rot.

Unripe fruits can be placed in a bag with apples or bananas. This will speed up the ripening process. Avocados should be used within 5 days, otherwise they will spoil.

To reduce the oxidation process, you need to sprinkle the fruit with lemon juice. You can preserve the pleasant yellow color of avocado pulp by leaving the pit inside.

The fruit is stored in the freezer in the form of a puree with the addition of lemon juice. At the same time, all the beneficial properties of avocado are preserved.

What products to use with

What recipes exist with avocado and how do you eat it? Since the fruit has a neutral taste, it perfectly complements the other components in ready-made dishes. Avocado goes well with fish and seafood, vegetables and eggs, and chicken.

In cooking, the fruit is most often used to prepare the following dishes:

• appetizers, pastas and sauces;
• vegetable and fruit salads;
• stuffed dishes;
• desserts, mousses and ice cream;
• as side dishes for meat and fish dishes.

How to store cut avocado? The fruit in this form is best used immediately for preparing various dishes. Any housewife can create a culinary masterpiece from an avocado. Methods for processing the fruit are different. In different countries, avocados are fried, boiled, baked, stewed or eaten raw.