Avocado Is One Of The Most Versatile Fruits You Can Cook With
Is mealtime your favourite time of day? Are you always up for a treat, no matter what day of the week it is? We get you! But, we also get that nutritional value and a healthy body is super important too. That’s why we totally recommend avo-liciousness — you literally can have your cake (avo) and eat it too…
It’s comfort food but it’s good for you!
Avocados are both a rockstar in texture and in taste, and it totally enhances Mexican dishes, toasted sarmies, desserts, and so much more. But, incredible creaminess aside, avocados are also loaded with healthy fats that have protective properties against heart disease and cancer. Avocados are also a source of potassium, are high in copper, and are a source of fibre and antioxidant nutrients such as lycopene and beta-carotene. Together these powerful food components can help maintain and regulate immune function.
Super versatile
Perfect your meals at home, and even your take-aways, by topping them off with thick slices of yummy avo.
Yes, salads, pasta, burgers and pizza should never be served without crescents of fresh, creamy avocado. It’s hard to think of another fruit as versatile as an avocado when it comes to snacking and mealtimes morning, noon and night. Mashed, diced, sliced or puréed, avos are always a delight, with a generous ability to make all other ingredients taste that much better!
Plus, avo season is currently in full swing with dark-skinned (Hass-type) and green-skinned avocados on supermarket shelves everywhere. You can totally allow your inner chef unrestricted kitchen privileges! Wink-wink. And if you’ve been feeling slightly demotivated by the state of current affairs in South Africa lately, know that there still many up sides to being a local… Having access to avocados available almost all year round, is one of them. SA farmers grow both green-skinned and dark-skinned avos, which means we get an almost year-long supply of these two equally delectable (slightly addictive!) fruits.
Ripe and ready
Buttery, creamy green-skinned avo varieties include Fuerte, Edranol, Ryan, Reed and Pinkerton, and are available from March until October. Hass, Maluma Hass and Lamb Hass are all rich, nutty dark-skinned avos that are available from March until November. While a green-skinned avocado remains green when ripe, the dark-skinned Hass-type avos turn purple-black when ready to eat. And while they may vary in colour, shape and size, they are all extremely beneficial and versatile.
When it comes to getting creative in the kitchen, dark-skinned and green-skinned avos shine equally brightly, as there’s no end to their uses in snacks, light meals, starters, main meals, desserts, bakes and even sweet treats.
So go on, satisfy your hunger and add some delicious, versatile and nutritious South African avos to your meal today. Check out this cool avo-inspired recipe idea…
Avocado, naartjie & caramelised pecan nut salad, with poppy seed dressing
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Serves 6
Salad ingredients:
6 ripe avocados, peeled & sliced
1 red onion, sliced
2 naartjies, broken into segments or sliced
1 orange, cut into segments
100g caramelised pecan nuts
Micro
herbs to garnish
Dressing ingredients:
¼ cup honey
¼ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup poppy seeds
Method:
Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a screw top bottle and shake to combine.
In a small bowl marinate the red onion slices for 5-10 minutes in the dressing.
Arrange the avocado on a platter, with the naartjies, orange segments and pecan nuts. Pour the dressing and marinated onions over the salad.
Serve immediately.
For avolicious recipes visit www.avocado.co.za or follow @iloveavocadoSA on Facebook and @iloveavosSA on Instagram.
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