Healthy Avocado Recipes: Benefits and Nutritional Value

Avocado is becoming more and more popular as time goes by. Learning about its properties and how to include it in our daily diets can have a huge impact on our health. Don't miss out on the following recipes!

The avocado, also known by its botanical name Persea Americana, is the fruit from a tree that goes by the same name. It’s shaped like a pear and has a single round and considerably large seed in the middle. So, what are the healthy recipes that you can make using avocado?

Healthy avocado recipes: history and varieties

This fruit comes from Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela. Ancient Aztecs considered avocado an aphrodisiac, which is why they called it ahuacati, which means ‘testicle’.

When the first Spaniards came to America, they named it Indian Pear because of the strong resemblance that avocado had with that fruit. As time went by and due to the effects of globalization, the commercialization of avocado spread all around the world.

Hass

Hass is the most common variety of avocados. These avocados are quite small, with rough and dark skin and a yellowish pulp. The main producers are Mexico and Spain, specifically in Andalusia.

Bacon

They’re the earliest variety of avocado, as their harvest season starts in October. Their skin is a bright green color, and Spain produces a lot of them.

Cocktail

This is a long avocado with no seed in the middle. It has a fine and delicate taste. Cocktail avocados come from Israel and Spain, but they’re mainly sold in France.

Fuerte

Fuerte avocados have the shape of a pear, with dull and thin skin. They’re quite rough but with an exquisite taste. They usually weigh around 8 to 9 ozs. There are plantations of this variety in Israel, Kenya, South Africa, and Spain. Fuerte avocados are usually available all year round.

Pinkerton

They look like a long pear with rough skin and a very nice taste. This variety is cultivated in Israel and is usually available during the months of February and March.

Nutritional value of avocado recipes

Avocado contains less water than other fruits, and just like olives, it also contains very high levels of fat. This is why people have believed it to be a bad fruit for a very long time. However, most of the fats in avocado are monounsaturated, and they stand out due to their high levels of oleic acid.

Recipes that contain avocados also provide a lot of vitamins such as E, C, and B6. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that we can’t easily find in other fruits. This is an added value for avocado.

As for minerals, avocados are a great source of potassium, just like bananas. In summary, 100 grams of avocado contains 141 kcal, 1.5 grams of protein, 12 grams of fat and 5.9 grams of carbohydrates.

Healthy avocado recipes

Avocados for breakfast

As we’ve mentioned before, avocados are a good source of fat. This is why you can use them as a substitute for olive oil in your breakfast. A way to do this is by spreading it on top of a piece of whole-wheat toast along with tomatoes, fresh cheese, and even some roasted peppers.

Avocado cookies

Commercial cookies are a matter of conflict since most of them contain a lot of refined flour and simple sugar. Both of those unwanted ingredients make packaged cookies a bad option if you’re trying to eat a healthy diet.

A nice alternative for those processed products would be to make your own cookies using high-quality ingredients. For this specific example, you’ll need:

• 2 ounces of oats
• 1 egg
• 1 medium avocado or 2 small ones
• 9 dates
• A dash of milk

The steps are very simple: mix everything together until you have a homogeneous paste. Then, begin shaping the cookies using molds or with the help of a spoon. Bake them for 30 minutes at 356°F. Once they’re ready, all that’s left to do is serve and enjoy!

Salmon tartare

Raw fish is gaining a lot of popularity since sushi became a mainstream food. Avocado is usually present in Asian food, inside fish tartare.

To make a salmon tartare, you’ll need:

• 6 ounces of raw, defrosted salmon. It’s important that the salmon undergoes a freezing process because the low temperatures will help to lower the risk of Anisakis contamination.
• 1 avocado
• Half an apple
• Soy sauce to your liking

As for the preparation process, start by cutting all the ingredients into cubes, add the soy sauce and let everything marinate together for at least 30 minutes. It’s very easy and incredibly nutritious!

Salad, the simplest option in the world of avocado recipes

Salads are a staple in the Mediterranean diet, especially during the hot summer months. The good thing about this dish is that you can include any ingredient you like and easily adapt it to whatever nutritional restriction you have. It’s one of the most simple ways to use avocado in different recipes.

To make a salad, the first thing you have to do is choose a good veggie base. Lettuce, spinach, and endives are great options for this.

The next step is to choose a protein source to add to your salad. Some of our options are:

• Eggs
• Meat: chicken or ground turkey.
• Legumes, which are especially important for vegans and vegetarians. Two amazing protein options would be to add small pieces of tofu or chickpeas.
• Fish, both oily and whitefish
• Nuts

Lastly, you can compliment your salad with any other vegetable or fruit; it’s up to you if you want them to be raw or cooked. In this last part, you can add pieces of avocado or use guacamole as a salad dressing. How do you like to make your salads?