Super Avocado

Avocados are a great source of nutrients. They are a wonderful addition to your diet because they can be incorporated into so many dishes and drinks, like the cookies and chocolate milk I recently prepared.

Avocados are considered to be a super food because of the variety of nutrients they contain. They contain vitamin K, folate, potassium, vitamin E, lutein, magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, niacin, and fiber. Avocados are also monounsaturated fats that can lower blood cholesterol when used in place of saturated fats.

Years ago, my mother collected a large number of avocados from her garden. She wanted me to help her consume them, so they wouldn't go to waste. So I grabbed a spoon and begun to eat. After a while I couldn't eat anymore. She ended up giving a lot of them away. Little did I know that there is so much you can do with an avocado!

Avocados can be spread on bread for breakfast, added in omelets, tossed in vegetable or fruit salads, stuffed with rice, added to rice, topped on crackers, mixed in salsa, put in wraps and sandwiches, made into ice-cream, blended into drinks! These are just some ideas I found interesting. It’s a fruit that you can be adventurous with.

Recently, I bought an avocado. I didn't want to buy more than one for the fear of not knowing what to do with it. The real trick was in figuring out what I could make, that my picky toddler would eat. I searched and searched the internet and finally gave up. But all was not lost; my search had inspired me. I settled on making the cookies and chocolate milk below:

Cookies:
I have simple ingredients in my kitchen, so I couldn't attempt any of the elaborate avocado cookies. However, I found a very helpful tip: replace half or all of the butter in your favorite cookie recipe with avocado! If the recipe requires you to use an egg, you can eliminate it. 

Ingredients:

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ cup margarine

½ avocado, mashed

1 ½ cups white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, avocado and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Chocolate milk:

The taste of avocado will not be recognized in this drink! Feel free to use your favorite cocoa drink like Milo or Nesquik!

Ingredients:

¼ avocado, diced
¼ cup milk
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
¾ cup milk

Directions:

In a small bowl, mash the avocado until creamy. Beat in ¼ cup milk. Sieve the mixture into a cup. Add 3/4 cup milk and chocolate syrup into the mixture. Stir until the mixture is well blended. (A blender can be used to mash and mix.) To obtain a richer texture, do not sieve the avocado. Enjoy!