Add-vocado like a boss

Have you jumped on the avocado bandwagon yet? If not, better hurry because the avocado movement is sweeping the country! I've heard more about avocados this year than I have in my whole life. Maybe it's because they were never present in my house while growing up. Or maybe it's because America really is going crazy for those deliciously tasty vegetables! I recently took a roadtrip to see my family in Arizona and saw a couple of these signs on the way there.

Like I said, it's sweeping the nation. I love those little delectable veggies! They are so filling and if you know how to use them, you never regret buying them. A few weeks ago I spent FOUR HOURS up and down the coast of California looking for a great deal from the local avocado growers. My dad called me during those four hours and when I told him what I was doing, he said, "You know what, I love avocados. But I just don't know what to use them in." And that my friends, is what I am here to help with!

Avocados are full of healthy components and they taste fantastic! I'm going to show you my favorite recipes for avocados. I hope you try and enjoy them as much as I have.

Avocado Salad

Essentially, you can add avocados to ANY salad and I promise you, it will only improve the flavor. But here is one of my favorite salads to throw a little avocado on.

Salad Ingredients:
Spinach (as replacement for lettuce)
Diced tomatoes
Chickpeas
Zucchini (sliced and broiled for 2 minutes)
1 avocado diced
Feta cheese

Dressing:
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

I always go very light on the dressing, as this salad just has SO much flavor, it really doesn't need much help. 

Many of you kitchen experts probably know how to cut and dice an avocado, but I didn't and had to look it up on Google. For those of you who were like me, let me save you the Google search. Cut an avocado lengthwise and twist. It should pop open. Remove the seed (I usually stick a knife in it and pop it out). Cut the avocado in several strips, first horizontally and then vertically, so you should end up with a grid pattern. Then scoop out the avocado insides! I put a picture up of how the avocado grid should look. Wallah! It sounds harder than it actually is. Still I'm pretty sure I'm asking Santa Claus for an avocado slicer for Christmas...

Ok, so my second recipe is a newfound love of mine. I know, I have so many newfound loves when it comes to produce. But this is seriously good guys! Welcome my love, avocado chicken salad.

Avocado Chicken Salad

1 avocado
1 thing of canned chickenSliced green onionsCilantro (finely cut)
Lime juice to taste
Garlic salt to taste
--Mush all the ingredients together until the chicken salad looks smooth. Add to toast or make a sandwich.

Um, notice anything fantastic about this chicken salad? NO MAYO! That's one way for sure to eat better. The mushed avocado provides a taste very similar to mayo, but none of the processed fat!


The last recipe I am recommending is a simple blend of vegetables. But the flavors are so perfectly matched and blended, it's like these guys were made for each other!

The Best Veggie Snack Ever

Half an avocado
1/4 cup diced tomatoes
Cilantro (finely cut)
1/4 cup cucumber
Lime juice and garlic salt to taste
--Mix all the ingredients together until you can't stand it another minute and just have to gobble it up!

The picture isn't a great one, but if any of you have worked with avocado before, you know that when it's mixed around, it doesn't look pretty. But I really really really want you to try this whenever you're in a snacking mood. The avocado is a filling vegetable and the others are simply too good to pass up! This has been my afternoon snack several times and it never disappoints. Your taste buds will thank me, I promise.

So that's all for my avocado lecture. But basically, add avocado to almost anything and it the dish will improve. It's a vegetable you're adding, but a very filling and satisfying one. And don't judge it by it's weird green appearance either. I'm pretty sure that the green egg from Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham" was actually a misjudged avocado.

Boring scientific note: You may think all fat is bad, but guess what? It's not! That's one of the reasons why avocados are so healthy and so filling! Because they are filled with polyunsaturated fats. Why is this better for you? Well the negative things you hear about fat are talking about saturated fats. These are fats from animals, like steaks, beefs, and cheese. In the MOST BASIC sense, the saturated fats have a chemical structure, where all the atoms are lined up nice and steady. This makes saturated fats pretty solid and stable, making it harder for the body to break it down. If the body can't break it down, chances are it will stay and clot your systems. However, unsaturated fats are great because there are kinks in it's chemical structure. The kinks make the fat molecule unstable, so it's a breeze for the body to digest and break those down! In fact, these unsaturated fats are so awesome that they help decrease blood cholesterol, which always means a healthier heart and less chance for heart disease. If I were you, I would become best friends with avocados too. (Note that there must be moderation in all things. Eating tons and tons of unsaturated fats, like eating too much of anything, will have a negative effect)