It ain't easy being green, unless you're an Avocado

av·o·ca·do [av-uh-kah-doh, ah-vuh-] noun, plural -dos.
Also called alligator pear.  A large, usually pear-shaped fruit having green to blackish skin, a single large seed, and soft, light-green pulp, borne by the tropical American tree Persea Americana  and its variety P. adrymifolia,  often eaten raw, especially in salads.

Hawaiian Avocados

Despite its seemingly innocuous nature, I have found the avocado to be quite polarizing.  People, it seems, tend to either love them or hate them.  As is the case with many misunderstood foods, texture appears to be the deal breaker for most.  Slimy,  squishy, paste-like are terms I have heard applied to this poor, oft-maligned fruit.  Add to that its color (green...ewww) and tendency to turn brown if exposed to air (if you have never seen an avocado after it has been sitting out a while just picture something roughly the color of sludge), and you have a food that most people will only experience when smashed up and mixed with at least 6 other ingredients in the form of guacamole.

I, for one, love the avocado, but this was not always the case.  My passion for this exotic seeming fruit began one evening at a sushi restaurant.  A good friend of mine had convinced me that it was high time I break my sushi fast and step into the warm glow of the neighborhood sushi bar.  That and she was probably also tired of eating at TGI Fridays with me...so, off we went to Beni Cafe, a small sushi restaurant situated on a moderately busy corner near our apartment complex.  It was a new place, shiny, brightly colored with modern furniture that was cooler to look at then sit in.  She suggested an avocado cucumber roll and a california roll - beginner sushi 101.  I left that meal with 3 thoughts:

1. I survived eating sushi - YAH!
2. Cucumber - Boo! (texture rears its ugly head)
3. Avocados are the best thing since hot chocolate spiked with Baileys

It was from those humble beginnings that my love affair with the avocado began.  In fact, for those of you who knew me back when, the avocado took the place of chicken tenders on my list of go-to food items - shocking, I know.

Avocados are more traditionally used as part of a guacamole recipe or as a salad

topping but that only scraps the surface of their unlimited potential. Looking for a quick pre-dinner appetizer? Mash up an avocado, add some chili powder and a dash of lemon juice, chill and serve with nachos. Sick of the regular old lettuce and tomato on your burger? Add sliced or mashed avocado, blue cheese, BBQ sauce and enjoy. Want a new favorite sandwich? Toast 2 slices of bread, melt some swiss cheese over sliced turkey, add sliced avocado and prepare for food bliss. Avocado can take the place of your salad dressing, mustard or mayo. One last suggestion - next time you order a grilled cheese, get it with avocado instead of a tomato; pair that with tomato soup and prepare for food nirvana.

Now that you are all probably jonesing for some avocado goodness you are probably wondering, how do I choose a good avocado? The first thing you need to know is that there are 2 different types of avocado - Florida and California (Hass). Florida avocados have a bright green skin and more of a watery taste while Hass avocados have a darker green skin and a creamier texture. This type of avocado is almost always found in sushi restaurants. I typically stick to the Hass avocado as I prefer their taste, but try both, you might be a Florida avocado person at heart. Nutritionally speaking, avocados are an excellent source of good fat, vitamins and fiber. Avocados also make other foods healthier. Eating an avocado with your salad will help you body to absorb the salad's nutrients more effectively. A ripe avocado will have a little bit of give but won't be squishy.  Like most things in life, you do not want your avocado to be hard.  If you do have the misfortune of purchasing a rock hard avocado, fear not.  Simply put your diamond hard avocado in a brown paper bag with a banana or apple and leave overnight.  By morning your avocado will have ripened to perfection.  How is this possible you may ask?  Well, while I am no Pomologist (yes, that is a real thing) I have been told that the potassium in the banana speeds up the avocado's ripening process. 

The avocado is a much more versatile food than people give it credit for.  During a recent conversation with the new sushi chef in my office building I learned that you can make chocolate pudding with an avocado and melted milk or dark chocolate bar.  This undoubtedly will appeal to those veganites out there who have been searching for a way to curb their pudding cravings without sacrificing their food values. Now I know what you are thinking - chocolate and avocado blended together to make pudding sounds more like a punishment then a treat. But having recently tried a tofu and chocolate pudding recipe that was wonderful, I am here to tell you that sometimes weird combinations work. Ever the thorough blogger I decided to take this recipe out for a spin.

Below is a recipe I found online posted by a fellow avocado devotee:

Chovocado Pudding
vegan, gluten-free

1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup raw agave nectar
1/4 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

http://www.forgivingmartha.com/2011/06/avocado-chocolate-pudding.html

Sounds pretty good right?  Starting to rethink your objections to the combination of avocado and chocolate huh?  But I know there are some of you out there thinking - sure when you pile on cocoa powder, agave nectar, almond milk and vanilla extract, pretty much anything will taste delicious.  For all you skeptics out there I am going to try the stripped down version of this recipe first - chocolate and avocado only!  Daring, I know.

Pudding #1 - Avocado and Melted Chocolate
For this pudding I mashed up half an avocado and melted 3 sections of a Ghirardelli baking bar. These 2 items were put into the food processor and spun around a bit until they were thoroughly mixed and looked pudding like. I then put pudding #1 in the refrigerator for approximately 5 hours.

Pudding #2 - Used the above recipe but halved
For pudding #2 I used the other half of the avocado I used for pudding #1 (this way you cannot claim that perhaps one avocado was better then the other - see I think of everything!). 3 additional bars of the Ghirardelli chocolate were melted (in place of the cocoa powder) and combined in the food processor with the avocado, agave nectar, almond milk, and vanilla extract. These items were also mixed until they achieved puddingocity. Pudding #2 was refrigerated for the same amount of time as pudding one (give or take 5 minutes)

The Results:

I tasted both puddings before refrigeration and it seemed like there would be a clear winner but to be fair I wanted to try each after refrigeration as well. Prior to refrigeration you could definitely taste both ingredients of pudding #1. While not horrible, definitely not something I would want to snack on. Because of the additional ingredients, the avocado taste in pudding #2 was well masked, though there was still a hint of it. There was also a textural difference between the two. Because almond milk was added to pudding #2, it was much smoother and creamier then pudding #1.

After being refrigerated both puddings looked just about the same. The big difference being that pudding #1 was slightly lumpier with tiny bits of avocado showing through every once and a while. The avocado flavor of pudding #1 definitely dissipated after refrigeration, allowing the richness of the chocolate to come forward. The mini avocado lumps also became less obvious, due to the pudding's now mousse like texture. All in all a vast improvement from its pre-refrigerated state.

Pudding #2 also took on a mousse like texture after being refrigerated, however this pudding was much smoother and creamier then its counterpart. Pudding #2 had a rich, chocolaty taste that was complimented by all the additional ingredients, the vanilla extract standing out amongst them. As rich and flavorful as it was, its mousse like consistency kept it feeling light, not overpowering the way some chocolate desserts can feel.

While pudding #1 was passable, pudding #2 was the clear winner. I would definitely use this recipe again over any store bought pudding products. Sorry Bill Cosby, Jello Pudding is out, and Avocado Pudding is in!

Avocados are a fun, nutritious, and unique fruit that can enhance just about any meal.  Is it any surprise that shortly after I developed my avocado fixation my husband and I relocated to San Diego, CA the avocado capital of the US? Till next time, snack on!