Your Fall Just Got Fresher: Greener Days with Avocado

As the temperature drops and Autumn approaches, the World Avocado Organisation is challenging the perception of avocados as a warm-weather fruit. The avocado’s mellow, nutty flavour and velvety texture make it a special base for recipes that aim to be comforting and warm. In addition to the traditional guacamole, it’s being stuffed for a hearty dish, whipped into a sweet treat, baked into a fluff, and made into a warm sponge. Because of its many uses, the fruit is an excellent complement to autumnal recipes, giving seasonal favourites a healthy boost.

Our body’s demands alter with the seasons and the crispness of the air. In addition to being a common ingredient in cooking, avocados are a nutrient-dense food that is especially beneficial in the winter.

• Immune System Support: Vitamins C, B6, and E, which are all essential for maintaining a strong immune system, are found in avocados. They maintain an effective defence against typical seasonal infections and aid in the body’s production of antibodies.
• Skin Hydration: The transition to dryer, chillier air can be damaging to the skin. Avocados include healthy monounsaturated fats that strengthen the lipid barrier of the skin, preventing dryness and retaining moisture
• Nutrient Absorption: Avocados are a great source of good fats that help the body absorb nutrients. They are a great complement to any meal since they aid the body´s improved absorption of important fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K from other foods.

Whether you are looking for a warm dish for a cosy night-in or an indulgent dessert to share with your friends, the World Avocado Organisation has the perfect recipes – comforting, healthy, and delicious – just for you.

Minced Meat Stuffed with Avocado and a Poached Egg

Serving: 1 portion

Ingredients:

1 Avocado

1 egg

200g minced veal

Salt

Black pepper

Equipment:

Oven

Method

1. Cook the egg in boiling water for 9-10 minutes.
2. Immerse in water with ice cubes to cut the cooking time and once cold, peel.
3. Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit and skin, and slightly enlarge the pit with a spoon.
4. Place the poached egg inside and seal the avocado.
5. Place the egg inside and close the avocado.
6. Season the minced veal with salt and black pepper.
7. Wrap the veal completely around the avocado.
8. Fry in a frying pan, on all sides, until the meat is browned and cooked.
9. Let it stand for a couple of minutes before cutting in half and serving.

Choco-Avocado Crunch

Ingredients:

100g coconut oil

100g oats

2 avocados, pits and skins removed

50ml maple syrup, or more to taste

100g pumpkin seeds

100g walnuts

3 tbsp cacao powder, or more to taste

200g dates, finely chopped

For the chocolate topping:

100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

To serve (optional=: grated coconut, edible flowers

Equipment:
Food processor

Small rectangular baking tray ± 20-30 cm

Baking paper

Method:

1. Melt the coconut oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the oats and fry until golden brown. This may take a while.
2. Meanwhile, mix the avocado flesh with the maple syrup in a food processor until it’s thoroughly combined and smooth like butter.
3. Add all the other ingredients to the food processor, including the browned oats. Pulse until the mixture is as coarse or as fine as you like. Taste and adjust the maple syrup and/or cacao to your liking.
4. Line the baking tray with a piece of baking paper and spoon the mixture in, spreading it so it’s even.
5. Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie. Pour the chocolate over the oat mixture and spread it so the oats are evenly coated.
6. Decorate with coconut or edible flowers, if using, and freeze for at least 1 hour.
7. To serve, cut into bars. They can be stored in the fridge for at least 2 days.

Shakshuk-A-Vocado

Ingredients:

2 aubergines, cut into 1cm cubes
2 red onions, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, grated
1 tbsp. ras el hanout, or more to taste
½ tsp. chilli flakes (1 tsp. if you like it spicy) – leave this out if you’re cooking this for children
1 bunch of fresh coriander, leaves and stalks, roughly chopped
400 g can of whole peeled tomatoes (+ ½ can’s worth of water)1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 avocado
2 small free-range eggs
100 g feta cheese, crumbled
1 tsp. grated ginger
Zest of ½ lemon
Olive oil for frying

To serve (optional): pita bread or homemade naan

Method:

1. Heat a medium sized pan or skillet and add a generous glug of olive oil.
2. Add the cubed aubergines and cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until soft and golden brown. Remove from pan.
3. Add some more oil to the pan and saute the red onion until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the ras el hangout and chili flakes and stir to combine everything together.
4. Add the aubergine back to the pan along with the coriander stalks (reserve the leaves for later) and fry it for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, ½ tin of water and balsamic vinegar. Bring it to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat and let it simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the shakshuka sauce has the consistency of a pasta sauce.
5. Meanwhile, cut the avocado in half, remove the pit and the skin. Turn them into 2 roses, leaving a big hole in the middle in which you can fit the eggs.
6. Carefully place the avocado roses in the shakshuka sauce, making sure they touch or nearly touch the bottom of the pan. Crack an egg into each one and cook to your desired firmness (up to 10 minutes for hard yolk, 6 for a softer-set one).
7. While the eggs cook, combine the crumbled feta, grated ginger and lemon zest. Scatter the mixture over the shakshuka along with the chopped coriander leaves, the slices of jalapeno and sriracha sauce if you like it spicy and serve with sriracha sauce, warm pita, or naan.

Avocado Lemon Cake (with less butter)

Ingredients:

75g unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g sugar
1 ripe avocado
4 eggs
200g flour

1 tsp baking powder

Equipment:

Good processor or mixer

Grater

Sieve

Greased cake tin

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Beat the butter with the sugar in a food processor or mixer until soft or creamy.
2. Scrub the lemons well and zest. Halve the avocados, remove the pits and peel off the skin. Mash up the avocado with a fork.
3. Add the lemon zest to the butter mixture. the juice of ½ lemon and the mashed avocado ¡. Mix in the eggs one at a time.
4. Sift the flour with the baking powder and add the avocado mixture. Bake the avocado lemon cake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Let the cake cool in the cake tin for 5 minutes. Remove from the tin and leave to cool completely on a rack. Cut the cake into 12 slices.