This delightful, buttery, nutty green fruit that you can make sandwich-spread out of, dice into a salad or mash into your favourite dip is indeed an indulgence.
Even if avocados were only delicious and versatile, they would be a treat worth serving frequently.
Recent research has demonstrated that avocados also offer some surprising and powerful health benefits.
Nutritious topper
One of the most nutrient-dense foods, avocados are high in fibre and top the fruit chart for containing maximum folate, potassium, vitamin E and magnesium.
The health benefits of eating avocados regularly have, in fact, encouraged me to adopt them as a new superfood.
Avocados have been cultivated for thousands of years. A favourite of the Aztecs, they were native to Central America.
The delicious, healthy mono-unsaturated fat in the avocado is one of its biggest health-benefit claims.
Cholesterol control
The only other fruit with a comparable amount of mono-unsaturated fat is olives.
Oleic acid, the mono-unsaturated fat in avocados, helps lower cholesterol.
One study found that after seven days on a diet that included avocados, there was a significant fall in overall as well as “bad'' cholesterol levels, and an 11 per cent increase in “good'' HDL cholesterol.
Avocados are also loaded with magnesium. Magnesium is an essential nutrient for healthy bones, the cardiovascular system (which helps in the regulation of blood pressure and cardiac rhythms), and prevention of migraine and Type 2 diabetes.
Among the 20 most-eaten fruits, avocados provide the maximum amount of magnesium. Bananas, kiwis and strawberries rank second, third and fourth respectively in magnesium content.
Potassium is also a key nutrient in avocados. Potassium helps regulate blood pressure and an adequate intake of this mineral can help prevent circulatory diseases, including high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease.
Full of folate
Avocados are a rich source of folate. (Folate is important in the creation of red blood cells, which helps prevent anaemia.)
One cup of avocado contains 23 per cent of the daily value of folate.
Various studies have shown a correlation between diets high in folate and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
It is a myth that people on weight-loss diets should not include avocados in their meals.
In fact, it is a key source of “good fat'', which is important for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A and D.
Time it right
But buying avocados can be a real challenge because it is difficult to find avocados that are ripe enough.
So you have to plan and use the avocados about two days after you buy them.
This way, you give the fruits time to attain the right degree of ripeness.
The trick here is to buy them semi-ripe and then leave them outside the refrigerator in a fruit basket next to a ripe banana.
This will get them to ripen overnight — but then, you have to use them up before they go bad.
Avocados, despite their distinctive flavour, enrich and spruce up the taste of any preparation they are used in.
Although not everybody's favourite, it can be used in smaller amounts to add that nutty flavour to sandwich spreads, dips, salads and soups.
The following guacamole dip is great with nachos, crisps or the healthier vegetable batons.
Alternatively, use it as a sandwich-spread in cheese or chicken sandwiches to enhance the taste.
If you are using the sandwich-spread for children, don't include onions and ensure that all the ingredients are well mashed and blended.
Cut down the chunk
I think the reason most people like this guacamole dip is that I never use onion chunks that are too large.
That's why it is important to finely mince the onions.
All ingredients are approximate, so start with less and add more to taste.
The size of the avocados will vary, so adjust the amounts accordingly.
Remember, if you are serving this dip with salty chips, cut down on the amount of salt you use in the recipe.
Guacamole dip
- 6 Hass avocados
- 1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1-1/2 tsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce (about 8 or 10 dashes)
- 2-1/2 tbs onion, finely minced
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup coriander, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 plum tomatoes, diced
Scoop out the fleshy part of the avocados into a bowl and add the additional ingredients in the order given.
Mix with a fork after each addition (do not overmix), so that the guacamole remains chunky.
Cover with plastic wrap until serving time. Serve with chicken-and-vegetable-filled wraps or simply, with nachos, as an appetiser.
Chargrilled chicken and avocado salad
- 1 cup boiled brown rice/ white rice/ quinoa
- 1 pound chicken breast, cut into strips
- 2 medium-size ripe avocados, chopped
- 1 medium-size tomato, chopped
- 2 cups lettuce leaves, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- Juice of half a lemon
- Salt, pepper, paprika
- 2 tbs soya sauce
- 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 6 walnuts, crushed
- 6 cashews, crushed
Boil the rice with salt and lemon. Drain off the starch, set aside.
Pour the sauces in a frying pan, add sliced garlic to it and throw in the chicken strips.
Cook one side fully, then turn over. Allow to overcook so that the chicken gets the chargrilled look.
In a big wooden salad bowl, throw in the chopped tomatoes, avocados, rice, lemon juice, salt, pepper and paprika.
Toss the mixture together and spoon into the centre of a big square platter.
Garnish four corners of the platter with finely chopped lettuce leaves. Remove the chargrilled chicken and place on top of the rice-and-avocado mixture.
Sprinkle crushed nuts on top. Serve with a tall glass of sparkling water and a slice of lemon.
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