May 29, 2009

AVOCADO, THE GREAT FRUIT FOR HEALTHY LIVING

It was a beautiful day on Thursday morning. I was driving to Pleasanton to get my lock boxes exchanged. On the radio, a gentleman was talking about the California Avocado. He had picked the right moment to talk about that wonderful green fruit that everybody knows about when they eat Mexican food, a big scoop of guacamole is a must for the slim dip for the chip. What kind of a nacho plate without guacamole? I am a big fan of guacamole. I also love avocado a great deal. When talking about avocado, I can’t help but think about my creation of shrimp and avocado that I used as a filling for the croissant sandwich I served in my French restaurant-bakery many moons ago. Don’t worry. I am going to share the recipe with you at the end and you will have the chance to wow your guests with this simple dish that will not take much of your time to prepare. Besides using avocado in the cuisine, you will be surprised if I tell you avocado makes a great facial mask for you to nourish your skin against the summer’s heat. All you need to do is mash an avocado, then mix with 4 oz of plain yogurt and you have an instant beauty mask under $5 for your face. Don’t forget the throat. Leave it on for 30 minutes. Then wash with lukewarm water and finish with a cold rinse. You will have very soft, subtle skin ready to take the summer’s heat. I love to eat avocado with a little sugar sprinkled on the halves for my dessert. It tastes like ice cream if you keep it cold. I can’t stay away from avocado shake. It is too yummy to say no. I know I am guilty as charged. Sorry for my weakness to good food.

Avocado has many nutritional benefits. It can contribute nearly 20 beneficial nutrients to the diet. An avocado can contribute nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, which include 4% of the recommended Daily Value (DV) for vitamin E, 4% vitamin C, 8% folate, 4% fiber, 2% iron, 4% potassium, 81 micrograms of lutein and 19 micrograms of beta-carotene per serving. Phytonutrients are thought to help prevent many chronic diseases. Lutein is great for your eyesight. Despite the fatty taste of it, an avocado has only 50 calories. It contains 3.5 grams of unsaturated fats which are important for normal growth and the development of the central nervous system and brain.

Now can you see the nutrition this one little green fruit can provide and how good it tastes to provide you such benefits for your body and health? Are you ready for my delicious recipe? Before we get down to the business of making the dish, I just want to let you know that growing an avocado tree is so easy because California is the ideal place to grow one. We are so fortunately living on this wonderful land so what are you waiting for? We can start to grow one from the seed of the avocado we are going to use in our dish so we can have more fresh avocado just picked from our own trees from our back yard. Isn’t it really organic and really healthy living? Visit this website to learn more about avocado and how to grow them.

Don’t forget to share with me your success story of planting your own avocado tree. I can’t wait to hear it!

Here is my recipe:

2 just ripe avocados seeded and cut into cubes. Save the outside halves
½ lb of cooked shrimp. (You can make it better by cooking the fresh shrimp yourself. Make sure you devein the shrimp before cooking them to slightly pink. Don’t overcook them. Blanch them in boiling water for 8 to 10 min or until they turn pink.)
½ cup of French Mayonnaise ( see following recipe)

Toss the 3 items together. Add pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Before serving squeeze ¼ of fresh lemon into the mixture. Scoop them back into the halves for a meal. Garnish with one radish rose. (Cut a radish at top, use a sparing knife going counterclockwise to create the petals from the peel. Put the radish in a bowl with ice water to open the petals). The radish will give the dish more flavor if you eat them together. Serve with slices of French Bread ( I found the French bread from Panera Bakery is the perfect candidate for this kind of dish) or garlic bread. You can serve as hors d’oeuvres by scooping it on Wheat Thins crackers or Melba toast.

French Mayonnaise:

2 egg yolks
½ cup of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic chopped really fine
Pinch of salt to taste

Beat the egg yolks slightly. While you are beating the yolks, drizzle the olive oil into the bowl. The more oil you add to the bowl, the more mayonnaise it will yield. After the yolks form into a mayonnaise mixture, add garlic and salt.

This mayonnaise is best when served with seafood like lobsters or crab.

I hope you will enjoy and wow your guests at the next summer party with this easy to make dish. You can even make it while you sleep. I am sure. For more information and yummy recipes you can reach me at 510-921-8501 or you can email me annie.re.consultant@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading my blog. See you next time.

Posted by:ANNIE Nguyen