Avocados

Mmm… Avocados!

Perhaps one of the most interesting fruits in existence is the avocado. It is notorious for being a fruit that is high in fat and isn't very sweet. Instead, it's a creamy, delicious, versatile, and very healthy food because the fat inside is good fat. It can be eaten by itself, sometimes with a dash of salt if desired, or can be added into many types of salads, sandwiches, salsas or soups, just to name a few. The avocado is a very common and integral part to a lot of American, South American and Spanish dishes, which is probably because the avocado pairs well with nearly any meat.

Avocado Serving Suggestions

Here is a very simple seafood recipe that utilizes the avocado: Dice an avocado and a mango into quarter to half inch squares. Squirt a little lime juice over it, toss it lightly before plating, and then set it aside. Use favorite spices to season a filet of tuna or salmon and then sear it on both sides. Carefully cut the fish into neat slices and lay them over the avocado-mango salsa. The velvety avocado will melt in the mouth while the saltiness of the fish and the sweet, tanginess of the mango massages the taste buds. Grab a bottle of wine, a friend and a fork and enjoy this nice meal on a hot summer evening.

For the sandwich lovers out there, instead of using mayonnaise and mustard, try mixing a little avocado with some creamy horseradish and using that as your sandwich spread. Add the usual suspects of veggies like lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts and pickles. Don't forget the meat (pastrami recommended), and cheese if wanted. The avocado spread works well with the rest of the ingredients while that horse radish provides an extra little kick.

How to Cut an Avocado

Cutting avocados might be a bit tricky if it has not been attempted before. A neat and easy strategy is to first grab a sharp knife and a spoon. With the knife, carefully cut the avocado in half lengthwise. Don't forget there is a big pit in the middle, so the avocado has to be to cut all the way around. One half of the avocado should come off very easily. The pit can be taken out be gently rubbing the blade of the knife into the pit itself in a rocking, left—right motion. Once the knife has dug about an eighth to a quarter inch into the pit, the pit should slide right out, and will be stuck to the knife. Toss the pit out.

To finish, take one half of the fresh cut avocado and tenderly make cuts lengthwise down the meat of it, letting the knife dig into the avocado all the way down to the skin. Try not to puncture the skin. Make the slices as thin or thick as needed. For smaller pieces, add horizontal cuts, making the avocado look like a checkerboard. Grab the spoon and keep it as close to the skin as possible as the meat is dug out of the avocado. The pre—cut slices will fall right out. Enjoy!