Avocado Cucumber & Tomato Salad

Another easy salad recipe with avocados !! Given the almost silken texture of ripe avocados, they make for a great addition to any salad even without the use of a dressing laden with oil/mayonnaise. But do add another acidic (tangy/sour) ingredient to balance out the flavors and take the dish to another level.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 10 mins


Ingredients -

• 1 fully ripe avocado
• 2 large ripe tomatoes
• 1 small cucumber
• 1/2 tsp mustard sauce/English mustard
• a dash of fresh pepper
• salt to taste

Preparation - Cut, halve and deseed the avocados. Scoop out the flesh.

Chop the tomatoes and cucumber into chunks.

Take all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and toss up.

Serve chilled.

Note - One can add either finely sliced onions/garlic to this salad.

Avocado & Corn Salsa

An interesting take on the traditional salsa, this one has more of a sweet & buttery flavour!! Gets ready in minutes and goes great with nachos and even as a salad/sandwich filling.

Read on for the easy recipe -

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 fully ripe avocado
• 1 sweet con of the cob
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes
• 1/3 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt to taste

Preparation - Cook the sweet corn with water and a little salt for 6-7 minutes. Remove it from water and keep aside till it cools down to room temperature. Using a sharp knife, cut the corn from the cob.

Cut, halve and de-seed the avocado. Scoop out the flesh and roughly chop it up.

Take the oregano, chili flakes, vinegar, olive oil and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix it. Add the avocado flesh and sweet corn to the bowl. Toss up.

Chill for 20 mins before serving.

Serve with nachos or even as a salad.

Note - Do not throw the avocado skin as it makes for a great serving bowl.

Hash Brown Sandwich

I am totally into sandwiches these days. Most of them are vegetarian and quite easy to prepare which works well given that I am feeling quite lazy to cook. Came up with this one last week when I prepared Hash Browns (Rosti) for my son. If your kids do not like potato, this is something that you should try.

While Hash Brown's/Rosti's are traditionally made from shredded raw potatoes, a few chef choose to boil the potato a bit before coarsely grating them. After trying both methods, I also prefer to make them this way as it becomes easier to work with. It gives that perfect crisp on the outside and moist on the inside texture. This method is preferable for the younger kids/toddlers.

Read on for the easy recipe -

Preparation Time - 10-12 mins ( if you have boiled potatoes at hand else add 10 mins )

Ingredients -

• Burger buns or any plain buns
• 1-2 boiled potatoes ( about 3/4 cooked is preferable )
• 1/2 cup coarsely mashed avocado
• 1 tbsp mustard sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
• few slices of tomato
• few lettuce leaves
• freshly ground pepper
• butter
• salt to taste

Preparation - Take the avocado, honey, mustard sauce and a bit of salt in a bowl. Mix togather.

Grate the potato into a mixing bowl. Add some salt and pepper and lightly toss togather.
Using very little pressure shape into patties.

Cooking - Heat sufficient butter in a pan . Add the potato patties and fry for 4-5 minutes till it firms a bit. This side should be golden brown and crisp. Then flip it over and fry the other side till it develops a similar texture. Remove from pan and place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

To assemble the sandwich/burger -

Layer on some of the avocado-mustard-honey sauce on the bun. Place the Hash Brown over it. Layer it with tomato slices and lettuce. Spread some mayonnaise on the other bun and place it over the lettuce layer. Dig in.

Avocado Sandwich

I was delighted when I received an email from Indusladies to be a contributor to their Kid's lunchbox event. Being a mother myself, I can vouch that there is nothing more satisfying than to find the lunchbox empty when the kid comes back from school ( and now if you thinking about all those times when you gave away your lunch to some stray dog while returning from school, let me inform you that my kid has not yet reached that stage. Will learn to deal with him when it comes to that).

The first recipe I picked up was this simple avocado sandwich with whole wheat bread. Avocado being a source of good fats and packed with nutrients, helps kids remain full for a longer time and also aids their brain development. Read on for the recipe -

Sending this as a contribution to the Indusladies event 100 Kids Lunch Box Recipes. Check out more details here - http://www.indusladies.com/food/kids-lunch-box-recipes/

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -

• 3 slices of whole wheat/multi-grain bread
• 1/2 of an avocado ( cut into slices )
• iceberg lettuce leaves
• a few slices of tomato
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp mustard sauce
• 1/4 tsp vinegar
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 4 tbsp grated cheese
• freshly ground pepper
• salt to taste

Preparation - Cut the bread diagonally into triangles. Lightly toast the slices.

Mix the mayo, mustard sauce, vinegar, honey, pepper and a bit of salt in a bowl to prepare the sandwich spread.

Take one bread triangle. Cover it with the spread and then layer the avocado slices over it. Cover it with a bread slice. Add another layer of the sandwich spread before sprinkling the grated cheese and layering the tomato slices and lettuce. Sprinkle a bit of salt. Close with the final slice. Gently press.

Repeat for the remaining slices.

Serve immediately ( or cover tightly with a foil wrap and put in the kids lunch box ). It stays good even after 4-5 hours.

Avocado-Egg Whites Salad

A recent episode of 'Agents of shield' on Star World had agents May and Skye discussing their feelings about Ward's betrayal. On being asked why she did not feel any anger, May replied that though she felt very angry with Ward, she would not waste her energies on throwing a tantrum and would rather channelize it and wait to take down her adversary. It just made me think how many of us would do something like that. Most of us are ready to throw a fit and get into confrontations even at a perceived slight. And finally we end up looking stupid. Maybe it is something I will try to implement in my personal life.

Today's recipe is a delicious and healthy salad for the weight watchers !! The whites are a great source of protein and the avocado is full of healthy fats. One can also add some crunchy lettuce , celery or cucumber to the salad to make it more filling. To make a complete meal, sandwich some between 2 slices of wholegrain bread or have it wrapped in a tortilla/quesadilla. Read on  -

Preparation Time - 12 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 ripe avocado
• 2 egg whites ( boiled and separated from the yolks )
• 1 small onion
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1 tsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp mustard sauce
• freshly ground pepper
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Preparation - Boil the eggs for 10-12 mins. Remove from flame and allow to cool. Remove the shells and separate the whites.

Cut the onion into thin slices and marinate for a while with the vinegar and salt.

Halve the avocado and scoop out the flesh. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the mayonnaise, mustard sauce, lemon juice, pepper and salt. Mash together (almost to the consistency of a Guacamole).

Add the chopped/lightly mashed egg whites and onions (discard any liquid though). Mix gently.

Chill for 20 mins before serving.

Avocado Pasta ( Vegan recipe )

This is another super simplistic pasta recipes that I stumbled upon while surfing the net. Love cooking pasta on my lazy days as it takes very less effort to put together something so tasty. It is one of those high ROI recipes. If you have a ripe avocado on hand, you will easily find the rest of the stuff that goes with it from your kitchen cabinets.

Read on -

Preparation Time - 10-12 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup durum wheat pasta
• 1/2 of a ripe avocado
• 3-4 Italian basil leaves (optional)
• 2-3 garlic flakes
• 1 1/2 EVOO
• salt to taste
• freshly ground pepper

Preparation - Scoop out the avocado flesh. Roughly chop up and transfer to a blender. Add the garlic flakes, basil leaves, EVOO and a pinch of salt. Ground into a smooth paste.

Cooking - Boil water in a large saucepan. Add salt once you can see the bubbles coming up.

Throw in the pasta as it gets to a rolling boil. Cook till al-dente.

Drain off the water from the pasta ( but retain about  1/2 a cup for thinning the avocado puree if required ).

Transfer the pasta to a dish. Add the avocado puree and 2-3 tsp pasta water. Sprinkle freshly ground pepper. Toss up and serve immediately.

Tastes best when warm. (Do not re-heat)

Note - One can also add a bit of tang by mixing 1/3 tsp lemon juice/sour cream/hung yogurt with the puree.

Guacamole

Guacamole is a classic Mexican dip that is usually served with nachos and tortilla chips. Ripe avocados mashed just enough with a little bite left, seasoned with salt, lime and chillis, this one is one sure shot winner. Onions, tomatoes, cilantro, garlic and pepper are also used to add flavor to this recipe. One word of caution though, it is loaded with calories ( avocado being rich in fats, good ones actually but still it is FAT ).

I have given a little twist to this recipe by using finely chopped avocado instead of the mashed one ( which can also be used as a salad ) and replacing 1/3 of the avocado with crunchy tender cucumbers ( which reduces the total calories consumed ). The cucumber adds a refreshing flavor to this yummy dip. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 10 minutes ( + 30 minutes in the fridge )

Ingredients - 2/3 of a ripe avocado ( sliced and seeded ), 1/2 of a small cucumber, 1 small red onion, 1 tsp chilli flakes, juice of 1 lemon, salt to taste, 1-2 tbs chopped cilantro.

Preparation - Scoop out the flesh of the avocado and finely chop it. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

Peel the cucumber and finely chop it. Repeat the process for the onion. Transfer both to the mixing bowl containing the avocado.

Add salt, chilli flakes, lemon juice and cilantro. Mix nicely.

Cover and allow to sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Spoon on some over your chips/nachos or serve as a salad.

Tip: If you are desperate for sinking your teeth into some guacamole and the avocados are still green, throw in one or two ripe bananas into a paper bag and put the avocado into it. Store in a cool dark place . The avocados will ripen within a day or two. But remember to put the ripe ones in the fridge else they get spoiled very soon.

Avocado Smoothie

Avocados are easily available in the market these days and the prices have also come down. This is a great time for avocado lovers like me. Though i was first introduced to this fruit during my Mangalore days, i immediately fell for it. One can readily find it in parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra.

For the uninitaited, this lush green fruit has a very subtle flavour and velevtty , melt-in-the-mouth texture. No wonder it is also popular as butter fruit. Though high in calories, it is has high amount of mono-unsaturated fats and dietary fibre. It is also loaded with vitamins and minerals. It helps in lowering the LDL ( bad cholestrol) and increasing HDL ( good cholestrol ). It is a skin superfood with its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

While buying the fruit, look for deep purple ones or very dark green ones. On pressing between the thumb and forefinger, it should yield only slightly. Too hard or too mushy is just not good enough.

Here is the recipe for a quick smoothie that i made with this fruit:

Preparation time - 10 mins

Ingredients - ripe avocado ( 1 no), milk ( 1/2 cup), fresh yogurt (1/2 cup), almonds ( 5-6 nos ), honey ( 2 tsp), powdered flaxseed ( 1 tsp), ice cubes ( 5-6 nos).

Preparation- Soak the almonds overnight. Wash and remove skin in the morning.

Put a cut along the length of the avocado, and around its seed in the centre of the fruit. Hold the two pieces, turn in opposite directions and use gentle pressure to take apart. Remove seed with a sharp object. Scoop out the fleas using a spoon. (Do not throw the skin yet.Rub it on your face for yummy-licious skin)

Dissolve the honey in 2-3 tbs of lukewarm water.

Transfer all ingredients into the blender jar. Blend till smooth. Dilute with cold milk to get desired consistency or serve as it is.