There’s a new sherif in town… Avo Cado! Truly, a nutritional force not to be taken lightly… and oh so on the avid low carbers’ most wanted list! (I don’t want to say a staple, cause every time I do this, that specific product’s price shoots through the roof! Coincidence?I think not!!! How’s that for a little spicy conspiracy theorie 😉
Ok back to the topic at hand, my earliest childhood memories of avo’s where jelly molds and rainbow sandwiches. It was fancy wedding food mostly. My dad managed to grow an avocado tree from a single seed that he nurtured for months and surely it yielded it’s first crop after 7 years. And to top it all, this monumental achievement happened in the Free State! RESPECT DAD!
But what exactly are some of these health benefits we can expect to gain from this beautiful green fruit? (Avo’s are actually part of the berry family) Yes, deal with it and stop being such a big berry about it!
I’ll give you five great reasons to love avo’s even more:
1. Avo’s have more potassium than bananas! I know, there goes the much debated low carb and fruit theory to smitherines! (People who defend bananas mostly like them because they are sweet. That’s really the reason! In my humble opinion)
Avo – 975 mg potassium
Banana – 487 mg potassium
And to add to our ode to avo song, is the fact that unlike bananas, avo’s don’t even measure on the GI scale. They cannot give you a sugar spike! Bananas on the other hand has a GI value of 52.
Banana, the tribe has spoken!
2. Avo’s have 4 grams of protein (The highest of all fruit) and 18 important amino acids that can be completely used by your body.
3. Avo’s make an excellent first baby food.
4. Avo’s have a whopping 10 grams of fiber per fruit. Ranking it in the top twenty best ways to boost your fiber intake.
5. You can swop butter for equal amounts of avo in baked goods too. I say bring on the avo brownies!
So now you know why you need them, but maybe your kids are like mine and sensory issues are standing between them and this green awesomeness. No worries, we can take these babies under cover!
Avo Chocolate mousse:
1 cup mashed avo
1 heaped Tbsp cocoa
1 Tbsp xylitol
200ml coconut cream (1/2 a can)
In a food processor or with a blender stick, blend all the ingredients for the mousse for 60 – 90 seconds.
Dress with a bit of whipped cream and you have a winner!
Yields 4 servings at 4.3 grams of carbs per serving
Lekker tip:
1. Replace the cocoa with 3/4 cup berries and a tsp vanilla extract for an avolicious berry mousse
2. Scoop the chocolate or berry mousse into popsicle molds for a nice cold treat.
2 cups mixed frozen berries
1 packet simply delish natural jelly, raspberry flavour
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup boiling water
In a saucepan on medium high heat, add the berries and the cold water and allow to boil for 4 – 5 minutes.
Add the packet simply delish jelly and add the 1/2 cup boiling water. Stir until the jellie is entirely dissolved. Pour into your latex jelly mold. Simply delish natural jelly does not require refrigeration. Leave to set and cool for about 45 minutes.
Tip the mold into a serving dish. Top with a layer of avo chocolate mousse and garnish with a layer of cream.
Yields 6 – 8 portions at 4 – 6 grams of carbs per portion
Avo and cucumber herbed salad ring:
1/2 Cucumber, grated and drained
1 Cup mashed avo
200 ml coconut cream
2 Tbsp cream cheese
3 tsp gelatin powder (I used regular store bought, would love to find organic bovine gelatin)
1/2 cup boiling water
juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp garlic
2 Tbsp fresh chopped chives
2 Tbsp fresh chopped dill
In a saucepan on medium heat add the boiling water and then the gelatin to the water. Stir until fully dissolved. Add the coconut cream, stir and allow to cool for 2 – 3 minutes while you prepare the avo mix.
In a blender, blend the avo, lemon juice, cream cheese and garlic.
In a mixing bowl, add the gelatin, avo mix, grated and well drained cucumbers, herbs, salt and pepper and mix to a smooth, well blended consistency. Pour into a latex ring mold and refrigerate for about an hour or two until set. tip into a serving dis and fill your ring with a pretty salad.
I used spicy olives, rocket, mangetouts, co*cktail tomatoes and sliced emmental cheese.
Yields 6 – 8 servings at 2 grams of carbs per serving.
Fish kebabs:
800 g hake fillets, skin removed and cubed (They usually weigh the fish before they clean them, this is the before weight)
1/2 red pepper, cubed
12 olives
6 fresh asparagus spears, cut into 3 pieces each
Basting:
3 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tsp Crushed Garlic
1 tsp Curry powder
Chopped Fresh Herbs or dried herbs
1 tsp Xylitol (Optional)
4 Tbsp Double cream Yoghurt
½ tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper.
In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the rest of the ingredients. Allow for flavours to infuse at a low heat for a minute or two. Allow marinade to cool. Pour over fish pieces and allow to marinade for 5 minutes
In the meanwhile give your asparagus a quick saute in butter or coconut oil.
Assemble six beautiful fish kebabs with the fish nuggets and veggies.
Fry in a pan with 2 tbsp coconut oil on medium heat for 2 – 3 minutes on both sides. Turn each side twice.
Serve with the avo and cucumber salad ring and you will find the word “FRESH” very close to the conversation surface level!
Yields 6 portions
Enjoy!
