Delicious Ways to Eat an Avocado
We’ve all heard about the benefits of avocado and what makes it so nutritious and healthy. Today, we can spot it in any decent grocery store, even though five years ago, this fruit was considered exotic. As is usually the case with new foreign products, few people know how to handle avocados properly. Usually, we scoop out the avocado with a spoon and enjoy, perhaps sprinkling it with salt and drizzling with lemon juice. Though this method is perfectly convenient, there are other delicious ways to eat an avocado. Consider broadening your culinary horizons by preparing flavorsome salads. Not only will additional ingredients enhance the taste but also help the body to absorb the avocado better.
Making a salad isn’t exactly rocket science: chop, mix, season. But any creative endeavor has a limit: the key is to dress avocado with nothing but olive oil — never mayonnaise or sour cream. After all, avocado is 77 % fats, so why make much of a muchness? We have compiled a roundup of salads in which avocado is the real star! Check out these delicious ways to eat an avocado for maximum health benefits.
Salad With Tomatoes
Avocados increase the body’s ability to absorb carotenoids severalfold. Therefore, bright ingredients rich in beta-carotene and other carotenoid antioxidants will complement your salads with avocado perfectly (for instance, tomatoes, mangoes, and carrots).
With Tomatoes and Onion
Ingredients:
- 1 avocado
- ¼ red onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ⅔ oz (20 g) cilantro
- salt, ground black pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Cut avocado and tomatoes into small cubes. Cut onion into thin half-rings, and marinate them in lemon juice for 15 minutes.
- Combine the ingredients before adding chopped garlic, finely chopped cilantro, and olive oil; season with salt and pepper to taste.
With Quinoa and Spinach
Ingredients:
- ½ cup quinoa
- 1 avocado
- 2 oz (60 g) fresh spinach
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 bunch scallions
- 2 tbsp wine vinegar
- salt, ground black pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Cook quinoa. Chop spinach and place it in a bowl; press garlic into the bowl, as well.
- Toss hot quinoa directly into the bowl with spinach and garlic. Add chopped scallions and sliced tomatoes.
- Season with salt, pepper, and wine vinegar. Add sliced avocado, mix, and refrigerate before serving.
With Eggs and Arugula
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch arugula
- 3 ½ oz (100 g) cherry tomatoes
- 1 avocado
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp flax seed
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ground black pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Cover eggs with cold water, bring to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes over low heat. The yolks should not be too hard.
- Wash and pat dry cherry tomatoes and arugula. Cut avocado lengthwise into strips.
- Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and the boiled eggs into quarters. Arrange the ingredients on a plate, sprinkle with flax seeds, sea salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.
Seafood Salads
Light seafood salads with avocado will make excellent cold appetizers to eat before the main dish. Seafood goes well with the inherent oiliness of avocado.
With Salmon and Sesame Seeds
Ingredients:
- 3 ½ oz (100 g) salmon
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp sunflower seeds
- 1 avocado
- 3 ½ oz (100 g) cherry tomatoes
- 1 bunch lettuce or other leafy greens
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt, ground black pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Cut salmon and avocado into small cubes and halve cherry tomatoes.
- Place leafy greens on a dish and arrange salmon and avocado on top. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and chopped cilantro.
With Shrimp and Tomatoes
Ingredients:
- ¼ red onion
- 1 avocado
- 1 tomato
- 14 oz (400 g) boiled shrimp
- 1 chili pepper
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 2 limes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt, ground black pepper to taste
- lettuce leaves to taste
Instructions:
- Firstly, marinate finely chopped onion in a mixture of lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
- Secondly, chop and combine remaining ingredients in a salad bowl before adding onion together with the marinade and sprinkling with cilantro. Finally, line a plate with lettuce leaves and place the salad on top.
With Fried Shrimp and Corn
Ingredients:
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 avocados
- 14 oz (400 g) fried shrimp
- 1 cucumber
- 1 cup canned corn
- ½ onion
- 1 bunch lettuce or other leafy greens
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt, ground black pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Begin by preparing the dressing. Chop cilantro and an onion half, add lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and mix with olive oil.
- Chop tomatoes, avocado, and cucumber before popping them into a bowl. Add leafy greens and corn and toss together with the dressing to coat.
Salads With Fruit
Avocado complements vegetables and fruit equally well. Therefore, it goes splendidly with sour-tasting and sweet products. Eat fruit salads with avocado with a dressing of natural yogurt for the ultimate meal experience.
With Strawberries and Feta
Ingredients:
- 7 oz (200 g) strawberries
- 1 avocado
- 2 tbsp chopped walnuts
- 3 ½ oz (100 g) feta cheese
- ¾ tsp ground tarragon
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt to taste
Instructions:
- Combine vinegar with olive oil, salt, and tarragon.
- Dice avocados and strawberries, mix with chopped walnuts. Drizzle with the dressing and top with feta slices.
With Pineapple and Mango
Ingredients:
- 1 mango
- 1 avocado
- 8 oz (225 g) fresh or canned pineapple
- 1 orange
- ½ cup natural yoghurt
Instructions:
- Combine chopped fruit in a bowl.
- Dress with natural yogurt. Refrigerate before serving.
With Grapefruit
Ingredients:
- 1 avocado
- 1 grapefruit
- ¼ cup raisins
- 1 bunch lettuce or other leafy greens
- 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
- ½ lemon
- salt to taste
Instructions:
- Cover raisins with boiling water and let sit for 10 minutes to plump them.
- Peel grapefruit and remove the flesh from its membranes.
- Cut avocado into slices, tear leafy greens into bite-size bits, add raisins, grapefruit, juice of half a lemon, and sunflower seeds; season with salt and stir.
As you can see, avocado is a fatty fruit, so it is best to pair it with fiber-rich foods. If you keep this in mind, choosing the right ingredients will quickly become second nature, and you will soon learn to create culinary masterpieces of your own. To make sure you aren’t disappointed in all these delicious ways to eat an avocado, take care to select only ripe fruit — then you will be able to enjoy its creamy taste and nutty flavor thoroughly!
