Living Through the Avolanche? 6 Avocado Recipes & Great Hacks
With the avocado glut lasting until the end of the year, we serve up some fab food ideas from 'The Food Saver’s A-Z'
Avocados are the ninjas of the fruit bowl – they are cholesterol-free, jam-packed with nutrients and rich in healthy mono-unsaturated fats. And if you’re worried about your waistline, fret not; do you know how many calories are in an avocado? Whole avocados have 200 to 300 calories (830 to 1660 kilojoules) of low-carb, low-sodium, gluten-free goodness, so go get ’em.
These gems feature in Alex Elliott-Howery and Jaimee Edwards’ brilliant new book, The Food Saver’s A-Z, which hits the shelves today with its food-saving ideas and delicious accessible recipes. In honour of the abundance of cheap avocados currently on the market, we extract the chapter on avocados: how to save them, make them go further, and make dressings and meals with these little green beauties.
These gems feature in Alex Elliott-Howery and Jaimee Edwards’ brilliant new book, The Food Saver’s A-Z, which hits the shelves today with its food-saving ideas and delicious accessible recipes. In honour of the abundance of cheap avocados currently on the market, we extract the chapter on avocados: how to save them, make them go further, and make dressings and meals with these little green beauties.
Some ideas for dressing up smashed avocado
Smashed avocado is a breakfast classic for a good reason; it’s about the most perfect thing you can eat to start your day – just add toast. To make a good thing even better, and because amping up the flavour will also help make your avocados go further, try adding any of the following:
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Smashed avocado is a breakfast classic for a good reason; it’s about the most perfect thing you can eat to start your day – just add toast. To make a good thing even better, and because amping up the flavour will also help make your avocados go further, try adding any of the following:
- Finely diced preserved lemon.
- Finely chopped garlic and chopped mint.
- Thinly sliced green chillies, chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves and lime juice.
- Wasabi and mayonnaise.
- Feta and lemon juice.
- Diced cucumber and parsley.
- Toasted seeds.
- Vegemite.
Dreaming of a new kitchen? Find kitchen designers near you on Houzz and browse images of their projects
Avocado dressing
Makes about 1 cup (250 ml)
This luxurious dressing can be used in multiple ways. Try it over leafy greens or roasted carrots, use it in wraps or burgers, drizzle it over fish, or even use it as a dip.
Avocado salsa
Makes about 2 cups (500g)
This salsa is a must-have on the table when serving tacos, tortilla chips or grilled (broiled) fish.
Makes about 1 cup (250 ml)
This luxurious dressing can be used in multiple ways. Try it over leafy greens or roasted carrots, use it in wraps or burgers, drizzle it over fish, or even use it as a dip.
- In a food processor combine 1 avocado, 2 tbsp tahini, about ¼ cup fresh herbs (such as coriander/cilantro, oregano, parsley or dill), 2 garlic cloves and a pinch of salt.
- Blitz until smooth, then add 1½ tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp chilli powder or flakes, the juice of 1 lime and ¼ cup (60 ml) water.
- Blitz again until everything is well combined and you have a smooth green sauce.
Avocado salsa
Makes about 2 cups (500g)
This salsa is a must-have on the table when serving tacos, tortilla chips or grilled (broiled) fish.
- Very finely dice ½ red onion and gently mix with 2 diced avocados, 1-2 jalapeno chillies (or other fresh chillies) and the leaves from 1 bunch of coriander (cilantro).
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and add the juice and zest of 1 lime.
‘What needs using up’ guacamole
Tacos, burritos and nachos appear often in our houses. And they’re usually a mishmash of what’s in the fridge. If we have ripe avocados then guacamole makes an appearance. This isn’t so much a recipe as a reminder to use up bits and pieces.
Chicken and avocado soup
This soup is inspired by the flavours of Mexico – the home of the avocado. There’s a lightness to it and it’s best enjoyed at the beginning of autumn, when avocados begin to appear and the last of the tomatoes are still around. This soup is also a good way to use up left-overs from a roast or poached chicken.
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Tacos, burritos and nachos appear often in our houses. And they’re usually a mishmash of what’s in the fridge. If we have ripe avocados then guacamole makes an appearance. This isn’t so much a recipe as a reminder to use up bits and pieces.
- Mash avos in a good-sized bowl – sometimes it’s two or three avos, sometimes it’s only half, and everyone gets a spoonful on their taco.
- Add something acidic – lime or lemon juice is ideal, but a little splash of vinegar will do the trick if there’s no citrus to hand.
- If you have a little sour cream, cream cheese or yoghurt that needs using up, add 1 tbsp, then add finely chopped garlic if you have it, and some chopped fresh or pickled chillies or a pinch of chilli flakes for a kick.
- Often ½ finely diced tomato makes its way in, or that little bit of onion we don’t know what to do with, the last of the coriander (cilantro) leaves or very thinly sliced coriander stems.
- Mix gently and serve.
Chicken and avocado soup
This soup is inspired by the flavours of Mexico – the home of the avocado. There’s a lightness to it and it’s best enjoyed at the beginning of autumn, when avocados begin to appear and the last of the tomatoes are still around. This soup is also a good way to use up left-overs from a roast or poached chicken.
- Follow the ‘Left-over-chicken soup’ recipe (see next), replacing the 2 cups vegetables with 2 cups (440g) diced tomatoes.
- After pouring in the stock, add the shredded chicken and 1 diced firm avocado.
- Warm through, then garnish with coriander (cilantro) leaves.
- Remove from the heat, allow everything to sit for 5 minutes, then serve with a squeeze of lime juice.
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Left-over chicken soup
Serves 3-4
A roast chicken truly is a great meal. We love making it for our family and pals, but while everyone is enjoying their drumsticks and roast potatoes, we’re already scheming about tomorrow night’s dinner, which we secretly love even more than the main event. This soup uses the carcass to make a small pot of stock, and any left-over meat can go in with whatever veg is in the fridge.
Some chicken soup flavour ideas: soy sauce and a little fish sauce/lemon juice and a little tomato paste/1 tbsp miso paste.
Serves 3-4
A roast chicken truly is a great meal. We love making it for our family and pals, but while everyone is enjoying their drumsticks and roast potatoes, we’re already scheming about tomorrow night’s dinner, which we secretly love even more than the main event. This soup uses the carcass to make a small pot of stock, and any left-over meat can go in with whatever veg is in the fridge.
- After your roast dinner, strip all the left-over meat off the carcass and store in a container in the fridge. In a separate container put the carcass, all the bones and the scraps from everyone’s plates. Seriously, relax about this, there’s going to be a lot of boiling water and cooking going on. You can store these for up to three days in the fridge, so plan this meal for that window.
- Pop all the scraps and bones and carcass snugly into a small stockpot, then look in the fridge to see what else needs using up.
- Now would be a good time to put in any or all of the following: the wrinkled half-tomato that’s been hanging around, a few dry old mushrooms, the celery heart you’ve been saving for this very moment, a bendy carrot, and some parsley stems or the tops of a leek. If there are no vegetables in the fridge, please include a brown onion chopped in half with the skin on, as it gives the stock a lovely colour, a few bay leaves and a sprinkling of peppercorns.
- Add water to just cover; don’t drown out the flavour.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low (never boiling, just a gentle bubbling below the surface) and cook for at least 1 hour. The longer you cook it, the more intense the flavour.
- Strain, saving the vegetables and any meaty chicken scraps to feed to your dog.
- Add ½ -1 tsp salt to the stock and use right away or store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Once your pot is wiped clean, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and sauté 1 small finely diced onion until translucent.
- Add 3 chopped garlic cloves and sauté for about 30 seconds.
- Add 2 cups diced vegetables – celery, carrot, potato, cauliflower, zucchini (courgettes), peas, corn, really whatever you have. You’ll need to think about how long each vegetable takes to cook, so potatoes now and peas later.
- Sauté any root vegetables with the onion and garlic for a few minutes, then add your stock.
- Simmer until everything is tender, adding any softer veggies closer to the end.
- Add your leftover shredded chicken to warm through, and cooked noodles or rice if you’d like. Taste and then decide on which umami hit you want.
Some chicken soup flavour ideas: soy sauce and a little fish sauce/lemon juice and a little tomato paste/1 tbsp miso paste.
Images and text from The Food Saver’s A-Z, by Alex Elliott-Howery and Jaimee Edwards. Murdoch Books, RRP AU$49.99.
Brown avocado
One of the hardest questions to answer in our cooking classes is what to do with too many avocados or brown avocados. The truth is there’s not a lot you can do to make avocados last longer or to preserve them in any way. And while there’s nothing wrong with brown avo, no one wants to spread it on their toast or eat greying guacamole. Some ideas for hiding brown avocado so it gets eaten. Try one of the recipes over the page, or these hot tips:
Pretend Nutella with half a brown avo
Makes about ¼ cup (60ml)
You can absolutely spread this on toast and give it to the kids for breakfast. Just don’t try to trick
anyone over five years old.
Rice, greens and half-an-avo fritters
Makes 6, serves 2-3
We make use of half a brown (or green) avo by using it as an egg replacement here and there. These fritters usually have two eggs, but you can replace one with half an avo that needs using.
Your turn
How to you eat your avos? Share your culinary secrets in the Comments below. And if you enjoyed this story, like it, share it and join the conversation.
More
If you’re after another fun read, check out another book extract in Dirty Hands & Glorious Sunsets: Daily Life on a NSW Produce Farm
Brown avocado
One of the hardest questions to answer in our cooking classes is what to do with too many avocados or brown avocados. The truth is there’s not a lot you can do to make avocados last longer or to preserve them in any way. And while there’s nothing wrong with brown avo, no one wants to spread it on their toast or eat greying guacamole. Some ideas for hiding brown avocado so it gets eaten. Try one of the recipes over the page, or these hot tips:
- Mash really well and add to beaten eggs before scrambling. It’s almost like adding a dash of cream. Add plenty of chopped herbs to turn it into green eggs of sorts.
- Bake with it – by adding dark sugar and unsweetened cocoa powder you can hide all the ugly brown bits. Sneak this combination into baked recipes, such as replacing some of the butter in brownies or a chocolate cake.
Pretend Nutella with half a brown avo
Makes about ¼ cup (60ml)
You can absolutely spread this on toast and give it to the kids for breakfast. Just don’t try to trick
anyone over five years old.
- Mash ½ brown avo very well with a fork, then mix in 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 2-3 tsp brown sugar and a little dash of vanilla. Keep mixing until everything is combined.
- Spread on toast and top with slices of banana.
Rice, greens and half-an-avo fritters
Makes 6, serves 2-3
We make use of half a brown (or green) avo by using it as an egg replacement here and there. These fritters usually have two eggs, but you can replace one with half an avo that needs using.
- In a small bowl, mash ½ avocado, then add 2 eggs and whisk until creamy and smooth.
- In another bowl combine 1 cup (185 g) cooked rice, 1 cup thinly sliced greens (kale, spinach, cabbage or fennel), ½ cup chopped herbs, 1 chopped small chilli, 1 finely chopped garlic clove and ½ tsp salt.
- Add the avocado mix to the rice mix and combine.
- Heat ¼ cup (60 ml) oil in a frying pan and drop in dollops of the mixture (2-3 tbsp) to make 4-6 fritters.
- Fry on each side for 2-3 minutes and serve immediately. Yummy with some sour cream and chilli jam.
Your turn
How to you eat your avos? Share your culinary secrets in the Comments below. And if you enjoyed this story, like it, share it and join the conversation.
More
If you’re after another fun read, check out another book extract in Dirty Hands & Glorious Sunsets: Daily Life on a NSW Produce Farm
Goes with
Citrus fruits, mango, pineapple, mint, tomatoes, corn, coriander (cilantro), chives, parsley, lettuce, cashews, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), sunflower seeds, fish, bacon, ham, chicken, blue cheese, cottage cheese, chilli, cumin, quinoa, mayonnaise, sour cream, chocolate, Vegemite.
Storage
Keep a ripe uncut avocado in the fridge for up to three days. Unripe avocados will never ripen in the fridge, so pop them on the benchtop and they will ripen in two to three days. Store cut avocado, with a squeeze of lemon juice on the exposed surfaces, in an airtight container in the fridge for two to three days.
Substitutes
Hmmm … substitutes for avocado are tricky. Texturally they are like bananas, but please don’t make banana guacamole! And seriously, we both tried to make banana bread with avocado but the kids weren’t fooled for a minute. Avocados really are their own thing. What they are good for in terms of substitutes is adding a non-dairy creamy element to cooking. So think of using avocado instead of butter o cheese in sandwiches or burgers.