Have You Eaten Your Alligator Pear Today?

“Food of the gods”, Alligator Pear, or avocado, no matter what you call it, this wonder food needs to be in your pantry, on your plate, or in your glass.  This mighty fruit (yes, avocados are actually a fruit, not a vegetable) has gotten a bad rap from the “low fat” craze, but the fat is just one of avocado’s many health-giving gifts to our bodies.

Here are some others:

• Great for skin and heart health
• High Vitamin E levels which can help reduce the risk of blood clots
• Approximately 20% fat, high in oleic acid which can help reduce LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol.*  The fat moisturizes from the inside of the body to promote good skin tone and health.
• Anti-inflammatory
• One avocado has more potassium than 2 bananas
• Boosts absorption of the antioxidants lycopene and beta-carotene up to 300%!

What to do when the entire bag of avocados from the big box store are ripe & ready at the same hour?  Guacamole is a great option but for something new and different, add some green goodness to your blender drinks!  The avocado brings its health benefits plus a nice creamy texture to these beverages.

Here are two of my fave drink recipes with avocado: Sinh to Bo (Vietnamese Avocado Shake) and Bruiser Smoothie (the blended color winds up looking like a…bruise, but tastes great and really delivers the nutrition.)

Vietnamese Avocado Shake

• 1 large avocado, skinned
• 1 cup ice cubes or crushed ice
• 1/4 cup sweetened condensed mil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk

Put all ingredients into blender and pulse, then blend until smooth.  You may adjust sweetness and thickness to your liking.  Serve cold.  Yields: 1 large drink or 4 minis.

 Bruiser Smoothie

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

1 small avocado, skinned

1 cup spinach

1 cup coconut milk (refrigerated, not canned)

Protein powder, optional

1 Tbsp. flax seed meal, optional

Stevia to taste

Blend all in mega-blender until smooth.  Adjust sweetness and/or thickness as desired.

The next time you’ve got avocados falling from trees, pull out the blender, invite some pals over and drink up all those antioxidants!

*I use this trick to remember which is the ‘bad’ cholesterol: L stands for lethal.