3 New Uses for Avocados

I love, love, love avocados, but until recently, they were the fruit that I always bought and never ate. They would sit, neglected, in my crisper drawer or in a fruit basket on the counter, shriveling away, lonely and unloved. It just seemed – and I know this sounds ridiculous – like a lot of work to open one up when I wanted a snack. And then, when I lamely attempted Bon Appetit magazine’s Food Lover’s Cleanse last year, I spotted the recipe for an 1) Avocado Tartine. Like most of my favorite recipes, it’s not really a recipe at all. It’s a couple of ingredients thrown together in mere seconds: Mash up some avocado, add lime juice, a dash of salt (optional) and a little sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes. Spread on toasted whole grain bread. Voila! One of the only things I consistently want to eat for lunch. On one of my favorite food blogs, ever, is The Gracious Pantry. I love how Tiffany makes clean eating approachable and elegant. I can get lost on the site for hours. She calls it Avocado Toast, and tops mashed avocado with black pepper and Hawaiian black salt. Yum.

2. Avocado Dressing: I read a letter from a food editor where she casually mentioned using avocado as the base for a salad dressing instead of mayonnaise, and I loved it. Because I hate mayonnaise. Avocado makes the dressing creamy without adding any bad fats. I came across this recipe for Blender Avocado Dressing and I adore it.
In a blender, pulse together one ripe avocado, one clove of garlic, 2 T of parsley, 2 T of lemon juice, salt, and white pepper. Blend. Add 2 T of olive oil while still running. You can also add 1 T of yogurt.

3. Avocado & Grapefruit Salad: I have the same problem with grapefruit that I have with avocado…. I love it, but always forget to eat it. I guess I am just a lazy eater. This combination is flawless. Of course it is. It’s an Ina Garten recipe – always elegant without being fussy. This would be perfect for a girls lunch with some crusty bread. (Unless my sister was there. She hates avocados and grapefruit. Seriously!) It combines 2 grapefruit, 4 avocados, and a yummy mustard-based vinaigrette. Click here for the recipe.