All About Avocado
Avocado, universally accepted as a super food, is a dietary hero. Despite being most commonly eaten in the presence of vegetables, this little bugger is technically a fruit. 85% of its caloric content comes from fat, but there is still less fat in the entire avocado than in three tablespoons of Italian salad dressing! What’s more, these are monounsaturated fats, the same fats found in nuts and olives. They are not proven to increase risk to heart disease or to increase cholesterol. Avocados also contain high amounts of vitamins A, B, E, and K, as well as potassium and Omega 3 fatty acids. So go eat that guacamole!
See all recipes with avocado here!
In Season: Late March to early September
How to Pick It: To find a ripe avocado, look for one that is dark in color, with slightly wrinkly skin. Press softly into the stem, if it yields a bit, your avocado is ripe. Try to eat it within 36 hours; once ripened, they tend to go bad quickly. If it’s ripening too fast, keep it in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator to preserve it.
If you buy an unripe avocado, you may have to wait a few days before it is ready. To help it along, store it in a fruit bowl on the counter or in a brown paper bag with a tomato.
How to Store It: After cutting open an avocado, the oxidation process begins. The struggle to find the best way to keep your leftover avocado green haunts many guacamole lovers. In order to prevent the dreaded brown color, softly pour a thin layer of water over the top of the guacamole, cover the bowl with cling wrap, and pop it in the fridge. When you’re ready to finish the guacamole, just pour out the excess liquid and then stir the mixture gently with a spoon. You can also keep half of an avocado in a glass of water.
How to Prepare It: When preparing an avocado, cut it lengthwise into four slices, and then peel off the skin. This preserves the dark green part of the avocado, where most of the carotenoids are found. You can slap avocado slices into a quesadilla, or blend it with milk and sugar for a refreshing milkshake. Tip: To put avocado slices into a burger, don’t sever the slices completely; leave them attached at the corner. This will keep them from slipping out the burger when you take a bite.
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These fun Tropical Salmon Sushi Cups make the perfect warm-weather appetizer!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 cups cooked sushi rice
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tbsp seasame oil
- 1 tsp chili paste
- Salt
- 1 mango, diced
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 lb salmon, diced
Method
- Combine the rice vinegar and sugar.
- Stir though the cooked sushi rice, and with wet hands, shape into balls.
- Press the balls into ramekins lined with parchment paper, and press the rice up the sides of the ramekins into cup shapes.
- Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, combine the soy sauce, cilantro, sesame oil, chili paste and salt in a bowl.
- Combine the mango, avocado and salmon.
- Pour the soy mixture over the salmon mixture, and stir through until evenly coated.
- Remove the rice cups from the refrigerator, and peel off the parchment paper.
- Distribute the salmon mixture between the rice cups.
- Garnish, serve and enjoy!
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