Avocados in Bloom

Page 11

Your choice of fruit should be determined by when you want to use it. If you plan to eat your avocado right away, select a fruit that’s slightly soft to the touch but still firm. On many occasions the skin darkens as the fruit matures, particularly with Hass avocados. Some avocados can ripen green, so it’s best to use physical means of testing for ripeness as opposed to color. If you wiggle the stem on a perfectly ripe avocado, it will pop out. Be gentle, though, as you don’t want to accidentally bruise the fruit and make it go to waste. If you’re planning on eating your avocado in 2 to 3 days, look for one that’s a little firmer. If you’re able to move the stem ever so slightly upon examination, that means the avocado is near perfect ripeness and will last a couple of days at home in your fruit bowl. Brighter, harder avocados are less mature and will take longer to ripen—around a week. You can buy them for future use and accelerate the ripening process by putting them in a paper bag (add a banana for even quicker results).

Overripe avocados yield to any touch. They can still be eaten, but they’re not optimal by this point. We’d recommend putting them in smoothies or using them for natural beauty products as described below. While usually you should store avocados at room temperature, putting them in the fridge at this stage or slightly before will extend their life span. We recommend using a sharp knife to cut the fruit in half lengthwise, cutting around rather than through the pit. You’ll then have two halves you can gently twist apart. Remove the pit with a spoon or your hand, then scoop out each avocado half by inserting a spoon between the skin and the flesh. For diced avocado, cut a cross-hatch in the flesh and scoop it out with a spoon. Like many fruits, cut avocados experience enzymatic browning as they come into contact with the air. To prevent this, simply squeeze some lemon or lime juice, or vinegar over the exposed bits of flesh. Avocados are extremely nutritious. In addition to nearly 20 vitamins and minerals, they also contain healthy Omega-3 fats. Because many nutrients are fat soluble, eating avocados also unlocks our bodies’ ability to absorb healthy elements from other food, especially those that are high in betacarotene, like carrots, squash, and broccoli. Avocados are great in homemade, natural beauty products. Use them as part of a skincare regimen (they do wonders mashed up as a simple face mask), or even on your hair and scalp. We don’t have any recipes for beauty in this book, but you can look at our website, Instagram, and Facebook for more information. So, what are you waiting for? Get cooking!

TIPS & TRICKS

Since avocados ripen after harvesting, it’s important to check your avocado before buying it.

INTRODUCTION

7


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Pizza Party

1min
page 83

Crackers in a Cauliflower ‘Bowl’

0
page 82

KIDS

1min
page 80

Avocado Tiramisu

0
page 79

Cucumber & Carrot Pops with Avocado Dip

1min
page 81

Coco Avocado Egg

0
page 78

Chocolate Mousse

0
page 77

Avo Tarragon Popsicle

1min
page 75

Foie Guac ‘Crème De La Crème’

1min
page 73

Fabergé Avocado Egg

1min
page 72

DESSERT

1min
page 76

Sashimi-Rose Flowerpot

0
page 74

Oysters on the Half Shell with Avocado Pearls

0
page 71

DINNER PARTY

1min
page 70

Avocado En Croûte

1min
page 69

Quinoa Christmas Wreath

0
page 68

Avocado Chimichurri Served with Grilled Steak

1min
page 67

Dutchdogs

1min
page 64

Green Rice

2min
page 63

Butternut-Stuffed Filo with Truffle Avonaise

1min
page 65

Tomato Steak

1min
page 66

The Salmon Salsa Burger

1min
page 62

Funky Fungi Burger

1min
page 61

Portobello Burger ‘Bar’ with Guacamole & Curried Mayo

2min
page 59

Thai Larb Gai Salad

1min
page 56

Pulled BBQ Chicken Tacos

1min
page 60

Salmon Skewers with Italian Herbs, Served on an Avocado Plate

2min
page 58

Caprese Tuna Meatballs

1min
page 57

The Shakshuk-A-Vocado

1min
page 55

Avotacos with Sriracha Mayo

1min
page 54

Super Easy Salad

2min
page 53

Avocado Truffle

0
page 51

No-Mayo Potato Salad

1min
page 52

Ceviche Garden

1min
page 49

Green Gazpacho Served in Mini Bread Bowls

2min
page 48

Avocado & Edamame Soup

2min
page 47

Triple Layered Avocado

1min
page 50

DINNER

1min
page 46

Homemade Naan

1min
page 45

SNACKS

2min
pages 38-39

Pom Pom Guacamole

0
page 40

Courgette Crisps with Avoioli

1min
page 41

The Wabi Sabi

2min
page 43

The Tuned Tuna

1min
page 35

Spicy Dukkah Wedges

0
page 44

The Hummus

1min
page 42

Curry in a Hurry

1min
page 34

Squeeze My Day Smoothie

1min
page 26

The Legendary Super Smoothie

2min
page 27

Pan Con Aguacate

0
page 32

The Schnitzel Sandwich with Truffle

0
page 29

AVOCADO GALORE ON TOAST

2min
pages 30-31

The Fooddeco Fancy

0
page 33

Avocado Pancakes

0
page 25

BREAKFAST, BRUNCH, LUNCH

0
page 24

Avocados & Social Media

1min
pages 18-19

About the Authors

4min
pages 20-23

A Guide to Avocados in Culture

1min
page 16

Avocados & Health

0
page 17

How to Ripen an Avocado

0
page 13

Tips & Tricks

2min
page 11

How to Choose an Avocado

0
page 12

Introduction

1min
pages 6-7

Where Do your Avocados Come From?

0
page 9

Foreword

1min
page 5

Avocados & Sustainability

0
page 10

The Avocado & Its History

1min
page 8
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