There weren’t any REAL shockers in this article but I would be interested to see if #2 works effectively, who thinks to freeze mashed up avocado?  #4 seemed the most creative, since avocados are high in fat it makes sense that they would be good in baking, maybe I’ll put that on my kitchen to do list.

Here’s a few that I came up with:

Salad Ingredient- Dice up avocado and toss them with citrus juice and poppy seeds.  I think orange works well here but lime, lemon, and grapefruit are all prime candidates.  Add the diced avocado to your next garden salad for some richness.  Staying on the salad theme you could also add avocado to make a creamy vinaigrette like Miz Emily shared with us last June- Orange Basil Dressing.

Sandwich Ingredient- I know this is old news but since I am an anti-mayo Crow, my new favorite substitute on a BLT is Avocado.  The key here is to use a mushier avocado and spread it on the bread rather then adding huge slices that fall off and add to the overall messiness of the sandwich.  You need to save room on the sandwich for the extra bacon as you can see in the picture below.  Note: this was constructed by my Man Crow who happens to love Mayo & Bacon.

Soup Topping: It’s common to add a dollop of sour cream on certain soups such as black bean or chicken tortilla but you can step it up a notch by pureeing avocado with sour cream or creme fraiche and adding a dollop of that!
Breakfast: Avocados and eggs are a match made in heaven whether you eat them on the side or stuffed in your breakfast burrito.  There is a brunch spot just around the corner from my apartment called Bon Savor that has the best options for omelets with avocado, check them out:
French Omelet Stuffed with fresh avocado, sautéed asparagus, tomatoes, and melted Swiss cheese
Richie Omelet Stuffed with fresh avocado, crispy bacon and melted Swiss cheese
It’s always so hard for me to decide between asparagus or bacon but the important description to pay attention to is the word “stuffed” because they pack atleast a half an avocado in each omelet.

Some of these ideas may or may not be new to you but if you are a lover of this delicious fruit (yes i checked on Wikipedia and it is indeed a fruit) then you probably share the belief that adding avocado to almost anything makes it better.

Last weekend my Man Crow and I decided to leave the confines(and comforts) of urban life and strike out into the vast wilderness of Vermont to camp for a couple of days.  We had a truly excellent time, hiking, sitting in front of the fire drinking box wine (for another post) and of course, mowing.

Unfortunately, my life has been a little hectic recently and I  simply haven’t had the time I would have like to devote to preparing camp-friendly noshes.   However, the night before with little time and an empty fridge wanted to make sure to bring one cooler-friendly, super healthy, energy-giving dish to munch on the whole trip and supplement meals.  So I came up with this recipe, and I must say, it was a winner.

1 Cup Quinoa

2 cups vegetable stock

1 Red pepper

1 Red Onion

1 Large Zucchini

1 Large tomato

1 Tablespoon capers

1/4 cup almonds

1/2 cup crumbled feta (or more to taste)

2 big handfuls fresh basil

olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Cook the quinoa in the vegetable stock, according to the directions on the package.  Set aside and let cool completely.

2. Roughly chop the vegetables (pepper, zucchini, onion, tomato, other veggies of choice) into bite sized chunks and toss in olive oil, s&p and a dash of red pepper flakes.   Put into a casserole dish and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes- until the veggies are tender but not too soft.   Take out of the oven and allow to cool completely.

3.  Lightly roast the almonds either in a pan, stove top, or in the oven alongside  the veggies.  Allow to cool, and then chop roughly.

4.  Toss together the quinoa, veggies (making sure to include the oil and juices at the bottom of the pan) and the almonds.  Add the capers, feta and roughly chopped bail.  Dress with balsamic vinegar to taste.

Enjoy!