AV-OH It's the Holy Grail of fruits. The healthy alternative to butter for your bread. The cheap way to get a moisturizing facial. Give a round of applause for the avocado.
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by becky samowitz
o you may have heard about the wonder fruit known as the avocado. If the answer is no, I suggest you stop reading and go to your nearest grocery store and buy one. They are only a buck and a half. Then, come back and finish this article as you have discovered your new passion and love for the avocado you are inhaling. Now you are probably wishing you bought more than just one. Anyway, It was not until this year, 2014, that I developed a healthy if not scary and addictive relationship with avocados. I know, right? Am I crazy? Apparently. So, let me explain. I remember beginning to see avocados everywhere. Honestly, They wouldn’t leave me alone. I remember trying to ignore the developing avocado fad before I went ahead and actually tried the damn delicious things. While perusing the interwebs, I kept seeing pictures of people with avocado tattoos, edited in a hipster type fashion. While surfing the T.V. channels, I was bombarded with the Subway commercial of people having avocado cars and earrings. While at my work, which is at a local sandwich shop, people were always ordering our avocado sandwiches. I just didn’t understand. What was so great about these things? They were mushy, and guacamole always looked questionable to dip my chip into. Then one day on my lunch break at work, out of the blue, I had a change of heart and decided to get a sandwich with avocados on it. The world has never been the same since.
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vocados are magical little fruits that have unleashed their powers onto my ever developing palette. I now crave avocados all. the. time. It’s not even funny. They are all I think about and dream about. At restaurants, I find myself hungrily scouring the menus for anything with avocados on it, or for avo add-on options. Heck, I would add avocados to my filet mignon for crying out loud. I shutter to think how I have spent the last 21 years of my life not eating these magnificent fruits. How could I have ever judged them? It was quite rude of me. I can admit right now that I have a very unhealthy relationship with avocados, except that’s pretty ironic since they are one of the healthiest damn things out there. I buy avocados whenever I am at the supermarket now, spread them on my toast, and get them on my sandwiches whenever I can. Now you are probably wondering why I keep blabbering about and advocating avocados. If you have the same burning passion for them as I do, I hope you agree with me. If you haven’t gone to the grocery store yet to try one, I will make it a goal to convince you to go. If you don’t like them, why are you still reading? If you didn’t know already, avocados are extremely versatile. They can be consumed or worn as an exfoliating face mask. Cool, right? It is now time to reveal more unbelievable facts about avocados. These facts will either make you fall in love with avocados even more, or will at least convince you that they are the greatest fruits ever birthed from the fruit heavens. Moving past what I have already preached, here are the mind -blowing facts about avocado’s: 60
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avocad o , chickp e a , and fe ta salad
you with its lovely seed nestled in the middle. This side of the avocado looks like an alligators eye too, giving it double bad–ass points. Also, the avocado’s innards are a nice shade of yellow and lime green. 3. avocados grow in pairs on trees. Who knew? The avocado is a climacteric fruit, which means that it matures on the tree, but ripens off of the tree, just like their friend the banana. The avocado tree does not self-pollinate, which means they need another avocado tree near by so they can bear fruit. What makes these trees even more fascinating is that a single
California tree can produce around 500 avocados a year. Holy goodness gracious. It seems I need to plant a few in my backyard. Speaking of California, that is where 90% of the nations avocado crop is produced. San Diego County is the Avocado Capital of the U.S. There are 5,000 avocado growers in California as well. OK, see ya, I’m moving to California. Write to me. 4. avocados aren’t just for eating. They freaking function as an anti-aging serum for your skin. Avocados creamy innards hold nutrients and vitamins that can make your skin more youthful. But av-
e p i c e R s i h T y r T Prep Time 5 Minutes
avocado ' s are also known as the alligator pear 1. avo c a d o s a re h e a lt h y a s s h i t. Seriously. They are rich in Omega-3, and are a fantastic source of amino acids. They are also one of the of the best things out there for sources of Vitamin E. Avocados are really fattening, but in a totally good way! They are full of mono-unsaturated fat, the kind of fat that is actually good for your heart. They are also chock full of magnesium and potassium, which assist in reducing ones blood pressure. Holla.
2. av o c a d o s h av e a n i c k n a m e . Did you know, that the avocados nickname is the “Alligator Pear”? How bad–ass is that? Also, the name fits perfectly with the avocados appearance. On the outer part of the avocado, it has green, wrinkly, rough skin (don’t judge), similar to the the skin of an alligator. And it’s shaped like a pear. There you have it. Alligator pear. Mind blown. If you didn’t think that was cool already, when you cut open one, the avocado pleasantly surprises
Cook Time 10 Minutes
you will need:
1 ripe avocado 8 ounces of dry pasta 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
Total Time 15 Minutes
ocados don’t stop there for beauty benefits. They also moisturize you skin with natural oils that help hydrate and soften your skin. Have a sunburn? Rub on some avocado and it will ease the pain. Have some wrinkles making an unwanted appearance on your face? Whip up some avocado and apply it to those crow’s feet! And ladies, avocados also have the magic powers of repairing damaged or dry hair, the HuffPost Style reported. So there you have it, the avocado is hands down is the greatest fruit ever. Are you convinced yet?
avocado pesto pasta
Serves 2
2 cloves of garlic 1 can of chickpeas 1 red pepper
instructions:
–Cook pasta according to directions –Cut avocado in half and take out the pit. Chop the avocado into small chunks. –Add the chunks into a bowl and mash into a chunky paste. Then add the garlic, lemon juice, chickpeas, and chopped red pepper. Mix gently. Add olive oil and salt if needed. –Add the drained cooked pasta to the avocado sauce, leaving about ¼ cup of reserved pasta water. Eat and enjoy!
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