All of the foods you didn’t know you could make better with avocado

Avocado ice-cream

So I had heard around and about that you could use avocados in ice-cream and so I set to work researching. Turns out most of these great recipes need what is called an ice cream maker, which is most definitely not a common kitchen item. But fear not. I did some snooping and found a way to make it with just ingredients and strong arm to mix it all together.

Ingredients

• Two medium to large avocados
• 1 ½ cups of heavy whipping cream
• One can (14 ounces) of sweetened condensed milk
• Two tsp. of vanilla extract

Step by step:

1. Cut the avocados in half and remove the stones and peel the skin off then place into a blender and cream them until they’re smooth.
2. Move the avocado cream to a large bowl and add the condensed milk and ½ a cup of heavy whipping cream.
3. Using a hand mixer beat everything until it is thick and creamy.
4. Add 2 tsp. of vanilla extract and mix well.
5. Pour it into a freezer safe bowl and make sure it has been freezing for five or six hours. Then eat it. 

Avocado chocolate mousse

Another fantastically inventive dish, by my number one gal Deliciously Ella, is her quick and easy avocado chocolate mousse. Published in her first book Deliciously Ella on page 169. It is absolutely full of goodness and makes dessert eating feel healthy and nourishing, there’s no need to worry about any naughty calories that you’d normally find in a dessert as tasty as this one.

Ingredients (to serve two – or one if you’re greedy)

• Two ripe avocados
• Four really ripe bananas, peeled (400g)
• 12 medjool dates, pitted
• Four tablespoons almond butter (but smooth peanut butter works perfectly too just Deliciously Ella is obsessed with almonds)
• Five heaped tablespoons of raw cacao
• Option: sprinkling of chia seeds and drizzling of maple syrup (I recommend both)

Step by step:

1. Slice the avocados in half and remove the stone and peel away their skin, placing them inside a food processor.
2. Add all the other ingredients and a splash of water with the optional maple syrup if you chose to do so now and blend it until it because a smooth creamy texture.
3. Divide the mixture into four bowls and sprinkle with some chia seeds for that finishing touch.
4. Refrigerate until you are ready to eat.

Avocado chips

Yes, thanks to the glorious avocado, I give you chips that are not bad for you. Say goodbye to MacDonald’s skinny fries that are smothered in oil and god knows what else, and say hello beautiful breadcrumb goodness.

These chips are perfect with some sort of dipping sauce, I’d recommend maybe some sour cream or even guacamole if you don’t fear overloading on the avo.

Ingredients:

• One egg
• Two cups of Japanese breadcrumbs (I didn’t have them so used Paxo breadcrumbs which still worked a treat)
• Two avocados, cut into wedges
• Lime wedges to serve

For the sauce:

• ¾ cup of Greek yoghurt
• 1 tbsp. of lime juice
• ½ a garlic clove, crushed
• One tbsp. of finely chopped coriander

Step by step:

1. Preheat the oven to 240C or 220C if fan-forced.
2. Line your baking tray with baking paper.
3. Lightly beat the eggs and place them into a shallow plate with another shallow plate for the breadcrumbs.
4. Cut the avocados into wedges of your choice of thickness and dunk them in the egg before coating them in breadcrumbs, placing each one on the baking tray.
5. Once all placed spray/drizzle cooking oil over them and season with some salt and pepper of course.
6. Leave them in the oven for around 10-12 minutes, checking on them until they are golden.
7. While this is going on get all your dipping sauce ingredients and mix them all together.
8. Hey presto, your chips and ready for dunking, and add a lime wedge on the side if it takes your fancy.

Baked avocados

Not only are they absolutely amazing raw but they can also be popped into the oven and baked to make a great side to your dinner. I tried out making Deliciously Ella’s baked avocado with sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts to accompany my baked salmon for dinner – I recommend this combo because they take the same time to cook in the oven which is ideal.

It was dead easy and tasted great. You can also make the same exact dish but in a more breakfast styled way, replacing the pine nuts and tomatoes with a fried egg to make a breakfast spectacular.

Ingredients:

• Two avocados
• One clove of garlic, grated
• 100g sun-dried tomatoes, drained of most of their oil and roughly chopped
• One tsp dried oregano
• 100g pine nuts
• Salt and pepper
• 200g cherry tomatoes, on the vine
• Olive oil
• To serve two tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• Squeeze lemon juice

Step by step:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Cut the avocados in half and remove the stone, then scoop some out of the hole to make it bigger and place it into the bowl.
3. Then place the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano and pine nuts into the bowl with a seasoning of salt and pepper before you mix.
4. Then place them on a baking tray, add some tomatoes on the vine too, and drizzle some olive oil over it and black pepper.
5. 15-20 minutes in the oven and hey presto it’s ready to be eaten – add some parsley and squeeze some lemon juice over it too if it takes your fancy.

Avocado Pesto

Deliciously Ella strikes again with her avocado pesto, which goes perfectly with either pasta or the less carby alternative, courgette – AKA spiralised courgettes, fancy I know. It takes around 10 minutes to make and can be refrigerated and added to so many things, definitely a keeper. This recipe is taken from her first book Deliciously Ella.

Ingredients:

• One mug of brazil nuts (120g)
• Four avocados
• Four tablespoons of olive oil
• Large handful of fresh mint leaves
• Juice of four limes
• And of course, salt and pepper

Step by step:

1. Place the brazil nuts in a food processor and blend for a minute or two until they are totally crushed.
2. Add the avocado flesh, olive oil, mint leaves, juiced lime and a sprinkling of salt and pepper and blend again.
3. Either mix the courgette and pesto together raw or add the sauce into your frying pan to heat up with the rest of your food – easy as pie.