8. Lemon Avocado Salad Dressing
You can top your salad with diced avocado, or you can whip up this easy avocado dressing recipe.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup mashed avocado
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
2 to 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir vigorously until combined.
9. Avocado Chocolate Pudding
Good news, chocoholics: You can throw together this avocado dessert in minutes. In addition to quelling your sweet tooth with this creamy, chocolaty pudding, you're saving yourself some calories by replacing some of the whole milk or heavy cream.
Ingredients:
2 ripe medium avocados, peeled, pitted and chopped
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup honey or raw agave nectar (or other sweetener of choice)
1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a blender, food processor or using a handheld mixer until smooth. Serve immediately, or chill first.
10. Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad
See ya later, lettuce. Avocado, antioxidant-rich tomatoes and hydrating cucumbers are the stars of this salad.
Ingredients
For the salad:
1-1/2 cups of chopped tomatoes
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 avocado, diced
4 ounces feta cheese, cubed
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons minced red onion
2 tablespoons minced parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
8 twists of black pepper from a pepper mill
Directions:Combine chopped tomatoes, diced cucumber, diced avocado, minced red onion, minced parsley and feta cubes to a bowl. Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar and black pepper in a separate bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently.
11. Glowing Skin Smoothie
The blogger behind this avocado smoothie recipe swears it's the key to healthy-looking skin. And she could be onto something. After all, mango and pineapple are full of skin-enhancing vitamin C, and kale and spinach are nutrient powerhouses.
Ingredients
1/2 cup plain coconut water
2 frozen ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
1 cup chopped pineapple (frozen or fresh)
1 cup chopped mango (frozen or fresh)
2 cups spinach or kale
1/2 avocado, sliced
Optional: 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed or flaxseed oil
Directions:
Put all of the ingredients in a strong, powerful blender in the order listed. Blend on high for at least 3 minutes, or until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the blender as needed. Add more coconut water if it's too thick.
12. Bacon-Wrapped Avocado
This appetizer recipe features the union of perhaps the internet's two favorite foods. In other words, there's no way it can be bad, right?
Ingredients:
4 to 6 strips of bacon
1 large avocado
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon chili powder
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and chili powder and set aside. Line a baking sheet with foil. Cut open the avocado and remove the pit. Slice about 3/4-inch slices lengthwise, and then cut through the middle to cut all of the slices in half so that you have short, thick chunks of avocado.
Cut each slice of bacon in 3 to 5 pieces, and wrap each piece around the avocado. Roll in the brown sugar mixture and place on the baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven to a platter and stick a toothpick in each for serving.
13. Baked Avocado Fries
Meet your new favorite side dish or appetizer.
Ingredients:
3 ripe avocados
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on the sheet. Set aside. Slice avocados lengthwise. Set up three bowls. In the first bowl, place the flour, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Crack the eggs into the middle bowl and beat lightly. In the last bowl, combine the panko and melted butter and mix with your fingers to coat. Add garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
Dredge each avocado slice through the flour and then the beaten egg. Coat thoroughly with the panko, and place on the wire rack. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until panko is lightly browned. Cool for about 10 minutes and serve with the dipping sauce of choice.
14. Eggs Baked in Avocado Boats
This recipe's presentation alone is sure to impress even the most discerning brunch guest.
Ingredients:
1 avocado
2 eggs
Ground black pepper to taste
Fine-grain sea salt to taste
Chopped parsley to taste
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Halve the avocado and scoop out enough meat to fit the raw egg, but leave as much as possible. Using two bowls, separate the egg yolk from the whites.
Place the avocado halves on two ramekins. Fill the avocado halves with the yolk first, then add the egg whites. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how runny you like your yolks. Garnish with chopped parsley.