Healthy Avocado Recipes

Healthy Avocado Recipes

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclaimer for more information.

 

I love avocados, so much so that I eat one every day of the week. The humble avocado has also been one of the main food staples underpinning my current way of eating. Avocados are nutrient-dense and contain the best of plant fats, filling fiber and many vitamins and trace minerals. One of the best thing about avocados is that you can use them in a variety of recipes and meals – from breakfast to dessert.

In this post I’ll share some of my favorite quick and healthy avocado recipes that anyone can make. The main thing is you get the nutritional benefits of avocado while enjoying delicious sauces, condiments, entrees and desserts! Yes indeed the avocado is very versatile and can work in deliciously unconventional ways. Follow along for some of my favorite avocado recipes.


Guacamole

Guacamole may be the most famous of all avocado dishes commonly served at festive occasions. Guacamole is a rich and creamy dip that originated from Mexico’s Aztec culture. In the 16th century the Aztec’s created “ahuaca-mulli” or “avocado sauce” by crushing tomatoes, onions and avocados together. The conquering Spaniards later modified the recipe by adding a few more ingredients and changing the name “ahuacatl” to “aguacate.” The old name of “ahuaca-mulli” subsequently became guacamole.

Fascinating history aside, I love guacamole for several reasons; the top one being that it’s absolutely delicious! It’s one of my favorite dips because it’s quick and easy to make using fresh, raw and whole ingredients. I make my guacamole with the following ingredients:

  • Ripe avocados
  • Diced tomatoes & onions
  • Cilantro
  • Lime juice
  • Salt & Pepper

That’s it, a few healthy ingredients married together to create a delicious and healthy side dip you can enjoy with chips, flatbread or even by the spoonful! Here’s my take on the traditional Mexican guacamole.

[nwp_recipe id=1122]

Avocado Toast

Believe it or not, avocado toast has been around for a long time. The original concept for avocado toast was created in the San Francisco Bay area of California in 1885. So what exactly is avocado toast and how is it made? The beauty of this open sandwich is it’s simplicity coupled with good nutrition. Avocado toast is made using simple ingredients including:

  • Avocado
  • Multi-grain bread (may also use flatbread, crackers or whatever else you wish)
  • Lime Juice
  • Seasonings
  • Salt & Pepper

To make avocado toast, we simply add seasonings and citrus to crushed slices of avocado. This mixture is then stirred to blend all the ingredients before spread over toasted multi-grain bread. Of course, you can enhance the flavors by adding other toppings like hummus, red-pepper flakes, shredded cheese, etc. You are limited only by your imagination.

Avocado toast has all the nutrients found in avocado along with the goodness of whole grains – it’s delicious and keeps you full for hours. Here is my quick and easy recipe for avocado toast.

[nwp_recipe id=1132]



Avocado Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is a beloved condiment used by many to enhance the flavor and texture of anything from sandwiches to potato salads. However, regular mayonnaise is made using artery-clogging and unhealthy ingredients like canola oil. Sure we can enjoy regular mayonnaise in moderation, but I like to have my cake and eat it too.

To this end, I did my research and discovered avocado mayonnaise which is made with heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in avocado oil. These good fats help our bodies to absorb more of the antioxidants found in other vegetables including alpha-carotene, beta-carotein and lutein.

I usually make a vegan version of avocado mayonnaise to boost the nutritional profile of the dish. The vegan version is made entirely with avocado flesh as well as avocado oil. However, sometimes I enjoy the richness and full flavor of a traditional type of mayonnaise so I replace the avocado flesh with an egg yolk and keep the avocado oil. Here’s my recipe for avocado mayonnaise that anyone can enjoy, especially if on a keto or paleo diet.

[nwp_recipe id=1126]

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

I bet you never thought you’d see the words avocado and chocolate mousse in the same sentence, amirite? Nonetheless, the versatile avocado makes an excellent chocolate mousse that is suitable for anyone doing the keto or any other high-fat low-carb diet.

The texture of avocado flesh makes it the perfect platform for building a creamy, chocolatey and satisfying mousse. The slight neutral herby taste of avocado is easily tamed with high quality semi-sweet chocolate, cocoa-powder and vanilla extract.

Avocado chocolate mousse is another of my favorite quick and healthy recipes for when I’m craving chocolate. As with most of my recipes, you can modify the flavor and nutritional profile depending on whether you add more sweeteners to the mousse. For example, you may decide that the level of sweetness found in semi-sweet chocolate to be sufficient whereas another person would prefer more sweetness.

In the event you prefer more sweetness, feel free to use maple syrup, honey, powdered sugar or any other sweeteners of choice. Here’s a low-sugar version of my avocado chocolate mousse recipe sweetened with Monksweet+ with Stevia.

[nwp_recipe id=1129]



Avocados – The Miracle Fruit

The avocado really is a miraculous fruit because of its nutritional profile as well as its versatility and suitability for various culinary applications. In terms of nutrition, avocados are a power-house boasting the following properties:

  • One of the few fruits containing both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (good fats)
  • Naturally sugar, sodium and cholesterol-free
  • 1/3 of a medium avocado has only 80 calories while adding over 20 vitamins and minerals
  • Nutrient booster – allows for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, K and E.
  • High in dietary fiber
  • Delicious

Avocados can be used for any meal or course either as the main ingredient or as a very important part of a quality recipe. I highly encourage you to add avocados to your daily diet. You’ll be surprised by all the recipes there are available for you to try out and enjoy.

In the meantime, let me know if you try any of these recipes and let me know in the comments how they turned out. Until next time: Happy Eating!




7 thoughts on “Healthy Avocado Recipes”

    • Hi Temi,

      Another great idea! Avocados are the perfect entry foods for babies. I’ll have to come up with some recipes for the babes too and I’ll definitely incorporate avocados. Thanks for the inspiration!

      Cheers,
      Dawn

  • So many great ideas! I love the look of that avocado mayonnaise. Will definately be making some this weekend. Thanks for the easy to follow recipe!

  • I loooove avocado! My favorite fruit for sure! Going to try the chocolate mousse, yum yum. Thank you for sharing some great ideas what you can make with it!

    • Hi Martina,

      Thank you for your kind words! Do let me know if you ever make the recipes.

      Cheers,
      Dawn

Leave a Reply to Riley Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Verified by MonsterInsights