Avocado is one of the most famous and consumed tropical fruits, which is saturated with a huge amount of various vitamins and minerals. The history of its appearance begins a thousand years BC, and the birthplace of the plant is South America. Today it is grown in many countries with a tropical and subtropical climate. But, despite this, in Russia, the popularity of this fruit has come quite recently.
Avocado is a pear-shaped fruit, dark green or almost black in color, with yellow-green pulp and a large bone in the middle. The taste of the fruit is delicate and not very pronounced, with some sour and tart notes, reminiscent of a nut. With something specifically it can not be compared. It remotely looks like an unripe pear or even a pumpkin. Thanks to this, it can be used in various dishes: soups, pies, salads, sandwiches, sauces and even some desserts.
The value of using exotic fruit in cooking
The fruit is quite high-calorie and has a high energy value. So 100 grams of ripe fruit contains:
- Fats - 15-30 g;
- Carbohydrates - about 5 g;
- Proteins - 2-2.5 g;
- Calorie content - 167 kcal;
- Fiber - 3.65-6.7 g;
Despite the high calorie content, it is easily digestible, therefore, it can rightfully be considered a dietary product.
The pulp of avocado has a light oily structure, so it can be used in its natural form for delicious salads, grind into pasta, mashed potatoes or sauce.
One of the important advantages of tropical fruit is that it can be found in almost any supermarket and at an affordable price.
Simple and delicious avocado salads
Most often, avocados are used unchanged in salads. There are many, for every taste and budget. I offer affordable, fast and very tasty. At the same time suitable both for a holiday and for a regular dinner.
Chicken Breast and Avocado Salad
- avocado 1 PC
- onion 1 PC
- carrot 1 PC
- smoked chicken breast 300 g
- sweet and sour apple 1 PC
- buckwheat nuts 70 g
- lettuce 50 g
- For refueling:
- onion 1 PC
- mayonnaise 4 Art. l
- unsweetened yogurt 4 Art. l
- lemon juice 1 Art. l
- garlic 2 tooth.
- parsley 1 beam
- salt pepper taste
- Peel the onion, apple and avocado, cut them into slices, and the onion into half rings. Grate carrots on a fine grater.
- Peel the chicken breast, and divide into thin slices.
- For the sauce, mix mayonnaise with yogurt, add finely chopped onions, garlic and parsley.
- Sprinkle the sauce with lemon juice and mix.
First put lettuce leaves on a plate, then slide all the ingredients, pour dressing and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
Avocado and Tuna Salad
- Quantity - 2 servings;
- Cooking time - 10 minutes.
Required Products:
- 1 ripe avocado;
- 150 g canned tuna;
- 1 large fresh cucumber;
- 1 tbsp. l olive oil;
- 1 tbsp. l lemon juice;
- pepper and salt to taste.
- Cut the avocado in half, carefully remove the pulp so as not to damage the peel. After chopping and sprinkle with lemon juice.
- It is advisable to peel the cucumber, then cut into strips.
- Fold the tuna on a sieve to get rid of excess fluid. Mix all ingredients, season olive oil and spices to taste.
- Stir and put into the remaining boats from the fruit peel.
Greek salad with tropical notes
- Quantity - 4 servings;
- Cooking time - 15 minutes.
- 1 large avocado;
- 2 fresh cucumbers;
- 2 blue onions;
- 1 large bell pepper;
- 2 tomatoes;
- 150 g feta cheese;
- 100 g pitted olives;
- the floor of the lemon;
- lettuce, salt, pepper.
- Tear lettuce leaves with your hands.
- Peel cucumbers and avocados from the skin, then chop and pour a little lemon juice.
- Pepper and tomato cut into large cubes. Olives can be divided in half.
- Combine all ingredients and mix.
- Mix oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Put the salad on a plate, garnish with a few slices of feta cheese on top and pour dressing.
What to make sandwiches with avocado
Sandwiches are an indispensable snack for any person. They are always done quickly, it is convenient to take them with you on the road. The most common sandwiches with sausage and cheese are pretty tired, so let's cook some healthy and original avocado snacks.
Savory sandwiches with red fish and avocado
- Quantity - 2 servings;
- Cooking time - 15 minutes.
- 4 whole grain or buckwheat buns;
- 1 large avocado;
- 200 g smoked salmon;
- a bunch of arugula (can be replaced with parsley or spinach);
- 1 tbsp. l horseradish;
- 2 tbsp. l mayonnaise;
- 2 tbsp. l lemon juice.
- Mix mayonnaise with horseradish.
- Cut the buns in half and grease with a thin layer of the prepared dressing.
- Cut the fish and avocado into strips, put on bread, pour a few drops of lemon juice and lay chopped greens on top.
- Cover the sandwich with the second half of the bun.
Hot cheese sandwiches
- Quantity - 2 servings;
- Cooking time - 10 minutes.
- 4 slices of bread;
- 4 plates of mozzarella cheese;
- 1 avocado;
- some salt and lemon juice.
Peel and slice the fruit, put on bread, sprinkle with lemon juice and salt. Cover with mozzarella and put in the oven for 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
Avocado Toasts
- Quantity - 2 servings;
- Cooking time - 15 minutes.
- 1 avocado;
- bread for toast;
- 20 ml of lemon juice;
- 50 ml of olive oil;
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- salt pepper.
Cut the bread into 6-8 slices and dry in a toaster. Then grease with a pastry brush with olive oil and rub with garlic. Remove the skin from the avocado, grind it with mashed blender. Add lemon juice, remaining oil and mashed garlic. Put the finished mass on toasts and decorate with greens.
Dietary dishes with avocado
Although the tropical fruit is considered high-calorie, it is quickly absorbed by the body, and as part of it has a huge amount of useful minerals and vitamins: E, A, B, folic acid, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and others. Due to this, many nutritionists recommend using avocados in preparing healthy foods.
The simplest dietary salad
- Quantity - 2 servings;
- Cooking time - 5 minutes.
- 1 small avocado;
- 1 medium-sized cucumber;
- 3 boiled chicken eggs;
- ⅓ Beijing cabbage;
- 30 ml of vegetable oil;
- 10 ml of lemon juice.
Peel and cut the cucumber and avocado into large cubes. Remove the eggs from the eggs and divide into small slices. Chop cabbage. Mix everything, season with oil and lemon juice.
Cold mashed avocado and greens soup
- Quantity - 1 serving;
- Cooking time - 10 minutes.
- 1 medium-sized avocado
- 1 small cucumber;
- 1 tsp. lemon juice and low-fat yogurt;
- a bunch of greenery.
Peel the cucumber and avocado, and chop the pulp in a blender. Add greens, lemon juice and yogurt. Then again, beat everything well. The soup is ready.
Vitamin Salad
- Quantity - 4 servings;
- Cooking time - 15 minutes.
- one apple and one avocado;
- 2 kiwi;
- 1 small white sweet onion;
- 30 ml of olive oil;
- 2 sprigs of cilantro or parsley;
- sea salt to taste.
- First chop the onion and cut into strips of kiwi. Mix everything so that the onions are pickled.
- Peel the apple and avocado, cut into large pieces.
- Sprinkle salad with cilantro (parsley), pour oil and salt.
- Stir and leave for 3-5 minutes.
Useful tips and interesting information.
If you choose the right avocado, the fruit will surprise you with a very light and delicate taste. To determine the ripeness, you need to use several rules.
- Pay attention to the color of the peel. It should be dark, almost black.
- Press lightly on the skin of the fetus. If it is hard, the fruit is immature. When the dent is too deep, on the contrary, it is already overripe and probably rotted. When the notch quickly smoothed out, it is a ripe fruit with excellent taste.
- You can shake the fetus a bit by placing it against your ear. If you hear a rapping of a bone in the middle, avocado ready to eat.
- Try tearing the stalk. The color of the place under it should be green, in no case yellow or brown.
If you could not find a ripe fruit, take the green one. For quick ripening, wrap it in paper and leave it at room temperature. You can put in a bag with apples and bananas. Do not store it in the refrigerator.
If the fruit is cut and half must be left, then sprinkle it with lime or lemon juice, wrap it with cling film and put in the compartment of the refrigerator to store fruit. Even so, the maximum shelf life is one day.
Tropical avocado is a whole volcano of beneficial properties, vitamins, minerals. With it you can cook many different dishes: light and complex, for the holidays and for every day. Despite the high calorie content, it is considered to be dietary, as it contains many monounsaturated acids, which help its rapid absorption by the body.
Regular consumption of an exotic product reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, lowers cholesterol, improves skin condition and has an anti-inflammatory effect.
The dishes prepared with tropical fruit are so diverse that they can replace the long-tired olivier, herring under a fur coat, classical Greek and others. With it you can make the table more interesting, tastier and more exotic.