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Avocado

By Family Table Contributors | December 21, 2021

You’d be surprised at the polarity of a mild fruit like avocado. Some households go through many of them each week, while others stay far away. Whether prepared as a dip, included in a salad, or layered in a sandwich, we’re in the first camp. Here are some of the ways you can find our team using avocado in their homes!

Avoca-Do!

Family Tree

Avocados are in the same family as cinnamon.

Influenced

In the summer of 2017, more than 3,000,000 photos of avocado toast were uploaded to social media every day.

Health

A 2018 study by the Journal of the American Heart Association found that eating an avocado a day can help improve LDL levels.

All in the Name

The word “guacamole” is a derivation of the Aztec word ahuacamolli, which translates loosely to “avocado soup” or “avocado sauce.”

Creamy Avocado Dressing

Recipe by Sarah Faygie Berkowitz

We all know how avocado slices elevate a simple salad. This dressing takes the richness of this incredible fruit and coats the whole salad with it!

Yields 2 cups dressing

3 ripe avocados
1 clove garlic, minced
¾ cup almond milk (or any thick plant-based milk)
juice of ½ small lemon (approx. 1 Tbsp)
2 tsp Mrs. Dash or other seasoning

Blend all ingredients with an immersion blender until smooth. This is a very creamy dressing. Add more milk and seasoning for a more pourable consistency. Store covered in an airtight container.

(To adjust amounts, use a ratio of 1 avocado to ¼ cup pareve milk and adjust seasonings and lemon juice to your taste.)

Midday Slump Salad

Recipe by Rivki Rabinowitz

Felt myself waning at 4 p.m. and didn’t want to throw down a coffee or shove in some crackers. I didn’t regret making this salad. Clearly I needed some hydrating veggies like cucumber and romaine.

SERVES 4

1 head romaine, shredded super thin
1 zucchini, julienned
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
2 hard Roma tomatoes, diced
½ cucumber, peeled and diced
1 kohlrabi, peeled and diced (optional)
½ avocado, diced
salt and hemp hearts, for sprinkling (or toasted sesame seeds)

Simple Lemon Vinaigrette

2 generous Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp sugar or coconut sugar
½ tsp Dijon mustard
¼ tsp fine sea salt, or to taste
3 Tbsp oil

Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Layer salad ingredients in a large salad bowl and sprinkle with salt and hemp hearts. Dress to taste and enjoy!

Green Smoothie

Recipe by Rorie Weisberg

It’s hard to find time for a well-balanced breakfast. This Green Smoothie, created by my sister Reva, changes everything. Just prepare the recipe in the evening, leave it in the refrigerator overnight, and voila! Wake up to a delicious macro meal, ready and waiting.

SERVES 1

¾ cup kale leaves
¾ cup spinach leaves
juice of ½ lemon (optional)
¾–1 cup chopped honeydew, fresh or frozen
¼–½ avocado (the more avocado, the creamier it will be)
2 scoops protein powder of your choice (I like Marine Collagen Peptides)
½–1 cup coconut-almond milk, unsweetened (I use Califia Farms)
ice cubes (optional)

Place kale, spinach, lemon juice, honeydew, avocado, protein powder, and ½ cup of coconut-almond milk into the bowl of a NutriBullet or blender and blend. If the consistency is too thick for your liking, add up to ½ cup more milk and ice cubes. Enjoy!

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 773)

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