It’s National Avocado Day! These luscious green fruit are so good for you! Chock full of vitamins, minerals and good fats (the kind that balance your cholesterol). They also help your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin K, D, A and E. And they taste amazing!

Sir Hans Sloan brought the first tree in the United States to Florida in 1696 all the way from Jamaica. He called them alligator pears, for the alligator like skins. But these fruits originated in Mexico and Central and South America and have been around for more than 5,000 years.

But the first Haas avocado, the ones with the black skins, was created in good old California in the 1920s! Most of these fruit that you buy in the market now come from California.

When you cut an avocado, carefully push a knife around the center lengthwise.

Use the knife to grab the seed, twist

and remove.

Scoop the meat out with a spoon

and slice or mash.

Our just add some salt and pepper and eat it right there!

But avocados aren’t just for guacamole! One of my favorite quick breakfasts is avocado toast or tortilla. Make some toast or crisp up a tortilla. Smash on some glorious green, maybe a few slices of fresh jalapeño and go!

Here are a few other recipes that use avocado. And there’s room for you to share a couple too!

Happy National Avocado Day!

Note: please share only recipes with avocado – celebrate the fruit. Thanks.

My husband smoked a turkey a few days ago. We have so much I’m not sure what to do with it all! We put some in the freezer and I made this delicious salad for my lunch. It was so good I thought I’d share it with you!

What you need:

• 1 cup of smoked turkey breast (not deli meat)
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 2 Tablespoons chopped green onion – green and white part
• 3 Tablespoons chopped walnuts
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon hot Curry powder
• 1 teaspoon yellow curry paste
• Pinch of anise powder
• 2 avocados
• 4 small tomatoes
• Lettuce leaves
• Salad dressing of your choice (I used Litehouse Caesar)

How to Do it:

Chop the turkey, walnuts and vegetables and place in large bowl.

Mix the curry powder, curry paste and anise powder with the yogurt and mayonnaise. Add to the meat mixture and mix well. Chill.

Cut the avocados in half and scoop from the shells with a large spoon. Slice a small piece off the bottom of each half.

Place on a bed of lettuce leaves and fill each half with ¼ of the meat mixture. Add 1 tomato, sliced to each plate.

Top with a drizzle of salad dressing. Serve cold!

Makes 4 servings.

© Copyright 2018 The Lazy Gastronome

Below are some of the items we used to create this recipe!

Disclosure: The items below are affiliate links through Amazon.com. If you purchase any of these products through the links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

This salad is low on fat but high on flavor.  It combines the tender and subtle flavors of the hearts of palm with the tartness of the kumquats.  It’s all brought together with the rich and nutty flavor of the avocado – give it a try!  You won’t be disappointed.

What you need:

• 3 Hearts of Palm stalks
• ½ avocado, chopped
• ¼ cup chopped fennel
• 2 kumquats, seeded and sliced very thin
• 1 teaspoon chopped fennel fronds (leaves)
• 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan (not the canned)
• ½ Tablespoon olive oil
• ½ Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

 

How to Do it:

Cut the hearts of palm into slices.

Chop the fennel stalks and a little of the frond.

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and toss gently.

That’s it!  Easy, delicious and oh so good for you!

Serves 2

© Copyright 2017 The Lazy Gastronome