Health food - The Avocado

Dear readers wherever you are,

there have been many myths about the "bad" Avocado..too fatty, too heavy, too many calories...Here's good news: Eat them!! They are no vicious vegetables, they are a really healthy fruit, full of good stuff. Plus they are so versatile there is no end to your creation of new recipes.

Let me tell you something about the nutrients first, after I will provide you with a delicious recipe, which will be on my dinner table as a starter tonight.

Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. The B-Vitamin part is very important, most of us if we do not use the right supplements tend to have some shortage. Avocados also act as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit.
Furthermore, Avocados are great for your healthy heart, because they have both monosaturated and polyunsaturated fat and contain potassium.

So, now that you know how much good those green "balls" will do you, here is one of many mouthwatering recipes:

Chilled Avocado soup with fiery tomato salsa

(Serves 4)

I like to prepare this soup raw (apart from the stock, but you can cook that earlier and leave it to cool before using it as suggested in the recipe)

You need:

2 large, ripe avocados

1 red chilli, seeded and chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1.2l veggie stock, chilled 

Juice of 1 lime

Salt and ground black pepper

For the salsa:

2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped

2 spring onions, sliced

1 green chilli, seeded and finely chopped

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

Juice of 1/2 lime

First make the salsa. Combine the tomatoes, spring onions, chilli and coriander in a small bowl. Season with a little salt, squeeze lime juice over the mixture and stir until combined. Cover and set aside.

To make the soup, halve and stone the avocados, then scoop the flesh into a food processor or blender. Add the chilli, garlic and stock and process until smooth. Add the lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper, then blend quickly to mix.

Pour the soup into bowls. Top with ice cubes and a spoonful of salsa and serve immediately.