I’m a chronically early person. If I’m meeting you for lunch at noon, I’m there at 11:45 looking at the menu. Invite me to your shindig and I’ll arrive unfashionably early (on the upside, I’ll also help with last minute prep!). But when it comes to food, I’m often late to the party.
Like avocado toast. It was all the rage for a while before I gave it a whirl, and now it is a lunchtime obsession. If you haven’t tried it, here’s the “no-recipe recipe”: Mash avocado, add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice and a dash of salt, then spread on a toasted piece of sturdy, grainy bread. (For more creative and adventurous ideas, check out Avocado Toast Extravaganza from Abby Langer.)
Avocados crop up on “superfood” lists and with good reason: Though they sometimes get a bad rap for being high in fat, it’s a kind of fat (monounsaturated) that’s especially good for your health. Half an avocado–the amount I use on my toast–has about a quarter of the fiber you need every day, more potassium than a banana, and even a couple grams of protein. That combo of protein, fat, and fiber also means avocados are filling and satisfying. That’s a quality I like in my meals–and why I make fresh guacamole about once a week to serve with dinner, whether we’re having burritos or not! (Here’s my No-Fuss Guacamole recipe.)
March happens to be National Nutrition Month, when registered dietitians like myself are encouraging people to choose nutrient-rich foods and incorporate more fruits and vegetables into meals and snacks. So in honor of the occasion, I asked some of my favorite dietitian bloggers to share one of their best avocado recipes with you:
Loaded Veggie Avocado Tuna Salad from Hummusapien
Blueberry Superfood Smoothie from Mom’s Kitchen Handbook
Spinach Avocado Alfredo Sauce from Teaspoon of Spice
Ginger Citrus Salad Dressing from The Lean Green Bean
California Avocado Beef and Black Bean Burgers from Meal Makeover Moms
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Avocado Cream from Danielle Omar
What’s YOUR favorite way to eat avocados?
Deanna Segrave-Daly says
Oh girl – one more thing we have in common – I’m usually early or on time for events but also often “late to the party” when it comes to trying out the latest food trends 🙂 But thanks for reminding me I have a leftover avocado from this week’s taco night that needs some love (aka spread on toast.) And thanks for including my alfredo sauce recipe 🙂
Sally says
Deanna–that’s nice to hear, I so often feel like the last one to jump on a foodie bandwagon! I can’t wait to try that alfredo sauce recipe! Every time I look at the picture I want to take a big bite of that pasta. Thanks for letting me include your recipe.
Alexis @ Hummusapien says
Spinach avocado alredo sauce?! Count me in! Thanks for including me, my love! 🙂
Sally says
Alexis–you are so welcome! Thanks for your awesome recipe too. I have never used avocado in tuna salad but since I am not a big fan of mayo, it sounds like the perfect solution!
Gillian says
4 out of 5 of us love avocados. We plow through them at my house. My son, the 5th, hates them but all 5 of us love this recipe for banana bread made with avocados – BanAvocado Bread! http://lalalunchbox.com/blog/banavocado-bread
Sally says
Gillian–we are a 50% household. But my fifth grader took THREE bites of guacamole last week and said it got better with each bite…so there’s hope! I love the idea of a Ban-Avocado Bread. I am pinning that to try later!
Serena says
I on the other-hand am always late to the party – but often START trends! (Totally 100% kidding. Around here, I just try to keep 4 little noses clean and something in the fruit bowl…and not be more than 15 minutes late.) Thanks for the avocado inspiration…and link love!
Sally says
Serena–My chronically-early nature + kids = disaster! Being late drives me NUTS, so the parenting moments I am least proud of usually occur because one of them is slowing me down and causing us to be (gasp!) on time or a little bit late. 🙂
Katy says
Hi Sally,
Love your website redesign! Looks great!
-Katy
Sally says
Thanks Katy!
Chelsea @ Chelsea's Healthy Kitchen says
I’m obsessed with avocado toast too – especially with a fried egg on top! That was much lunch today. Love all the other great ideas in this post too!
Sally says
Chelsea–I love the fried egg idea! Going to do that next time. 🙂
Ashley @ A Lady Goes West says
I hate to admit it, but I’m also an early person who is late to the avocado toast party. I need to get on it soon! Would be fun to add an egg on top too. 🙂
Sally says
No shame in being late–especially if you make up for lost time! 🙂
Hanna says
I lived in SF a couple years ago for an organizing gig, and avocado toast changed my life. And seems like there are cheap, ripe avocados at every corner there! In addition to your lemon & salt, it’s also good with some cumin & cayenne sprinkled on top.
P.S. I laughed out loud at your chronically-early comment (sorry, if you didn’t mean for it to be funny!) because I’m that person too, helping with the kitchen prep etc. But just last week, I decided to try out life as if I were NOT that person. I started leaving 15 minutes later for things than I usually do. Not sure how long I can keep it up…. I definitely waste less time (those 15-min waiting blocks add up!), but am sort of stressed about being late the whole time, which is no fun! haha 🙂