I really don’t know what it is about avocados that is so tantalizing to me. Quite frankly, the taste of pure avocado is underwhelming – I always need at least some lemon or salt to spice it up a little. I’m guessing that it might have something to do with the texture of the fruit, but primarily I would definitely say that it’s the versatility that avocados lend themselves to that is so appealing to me. I don’t think there is another food (besides, maybe tofu or eggs) that is quite as flexible as avocados in terms of flavor acceptance and texture enhancement. If you’re like me and have a torrid love affair with this pitted friend, I think you might enjoy learning a few more recipes with it that are not guac or avo toast.
The first recipe that absolutely shook me was the addition of avocados in ice cream. I kid you not, I almost shrieked. That definitely didn’t sound appealing to me, and I felt like this was some kind of sacrilegious joke being played on me. However, coming to think about it, there is definitely a lot of logic behind this concept. The fats in avocado add smoothness and richness to the ice cream without adding unnecessary saturated fats (like from milk or cream), and because of its subtle taste, the avocado can adapt to any ice cream flavor you may want to bestow onto it. Here are a few avo-cream recipes, and I know that I can’t wait to try them out.
Despite popular belief, avocado doesn’t have to be present in a salad in solid form. This kefir avocado dressing is bound to light up your meal in a new and saucy way. It’s recommended that you use this dressing as a substitute for Caesar dressing if you want to cut down on saturated fats, and your gut will thank you for the probiotics found in the kefir. Additionally, you won’t be losing out on the filling effects of a creamier dressing, and your salad will gain a new, tangy flavor.
If an avocado can be a dressing, I thought it would be safe to assume that it can be used as a spread too. “Of course!” the internet said as I stumbled upon this wonderful avocado hummus recipe. Let’s just start with the fact that avocado gives the hummus a playful green tinge. Then, it also makes it smoother and silkier due to the fats in the avocado and adds richness to the texture. This recipe is also super quick to make and unifies two subsets of the population- team pita chips with hummus and team tortilla chips with guac.
To wrap up this article, I thought I would find a legitimate meal recipe. Not a dressing, not a spread or dessert, but a full-on meal. This was a little difficult to do because there is only so much avocado one can eat in a single sitting. However, I did find this little treasure: a grilled corn salad with avocado and hot honey-lime dressing. The beauty of this dish (besides the avocado, of course) is that it is also super versatile – not a fan of salads for lunch? Make it into a side dish and have a rich soup (maybe avocado?) or a sandwich along with it. Want to add some protein? Throw some grilled chicken or shrimp on it, or some tofu if that floats your boat, sprinkle some seeds on there and you’re all set. It can even be made into a salsa if you mash up the avocado and change the corn to avo ratio!
I cannot describe how happy it made me to write this article. Finding such versatile ingredients in our diets can be challenging, and having them be so healthy and satisfying is rarer yet. I hope that you give some of these recipes a try (I know, avocado soup is a little freaky), and I know that I most definitely will be!
