Avocado may be high in fat but it contains healthy fats that are good for you. The fat in avocado contains oleic acid which has been known to reduce inflammation.
Other benefits of avocado:
High in Potassium-potassium helps keep your blood pressure down
High in fiber
When eaten with plant-based foods, avocado will help your body absorb their nutrients
May help lower cholesterol
The following recipe makes a great lunch or appetizer. Feel free to get creative with the veggies and spices that you add. Customizing recipes is the fun part about making food.
When I made this during the holidays, I hollowed out grape tomatoes and thick cucumber slices and put the filling in them. I am thinking a nice crimini mushroom would work well too. Maybe you have some other ideas?
So let’s get started making a stuffed avocado for 2 (or for 1, if you don’t think that you can share).
Remember to choose organic ingredients, whenever possible.
First begin by choosing a ripe avocado. The avocado I used is a Haas avocado. It is ripe when the skin is a purple-y colour and when you gently press on it you feel it give a little under your thumb.
Next, slice the avocado in half, remove the pit, and scoop the flesh out into a bowl, leaving a little edge along the shell.
Now you need to prepare the ingredients that you will mix with the avocado. I decided on parsnip to add a little sweetness (you could omit this), celery and red onion for a crunch, hemp seeds and cilantro to add interest to the flavour. Plus a few simple seasonings…garlic (of course!), lime juice, Himalayan salt and freshly ground pepper.
It was important to me to mince everything well and finely grate the parsnip. I preferred the end result being not too chunky. Of course, you may feel differently, so go ahead and make it chunky if that suits you.
Now you mix it all together with the avocado to a smooth consistency.
Then pile it high in your avocado shell.
The sauce is next. I choose tahini as my base. It is so easy to vary the flavours with tahini and the creaminess of it is wonderful. This sauce is fairly mild so you may wish to step up the cayenne a bit or maybe you have a hotter curry powder.
My biggest challenge was getting the sauce to be thin enough to drizzle but not too thin that it was watery. My tip is to very slowly add water. Less is definitely better. Tasting along the way is a good idea too so that you can add more flavours if you need to. If the sauce does get too thin, you can always add more tahini.
This recipe makes more than you will need but then you will have a dressing ready for your salad at dinner. I am always thinking ahead. 😉
And now to make a nice presentation…
Bon Appetit!
Stuffed Avocado with Curry Sauce
Author: Barbara Dolan
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Vegan
Prep time: 15 mins
Total time: 15 mins
Serves: 2 servings
Delicious as an appetizer. Easy to make for crowds. Also nice as a lunch item. Rich, creamy, filling, and healthy. Sure to please your family and friends.
Ingredients
1 avocado, ripe
2 small cloves garlic, pressed
2 Tablespoons red onion, minced
¼ cup parsnip, finely grated
2 Tablespoons celery, minced
2 Tablespoons cilantro, minced
1 Tablespoon hemp seeds
1 Tablespoon lime juice
Pepper, freshly ground, to taste
For the sauce:
1½ Tablespoons tahini
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon lime or lemon juice
1½ teaspoons curry powder
Himalayan salt, pinch
Pepper, freshly ground to taste
water as needed
â…› teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions
Slice avocado in half and remove pit.
Scoop avocado flesh, leaving a small edge in the shell. Place flesh in a bowl
Add remaining ingredients (except ingredients for sauce) and mash it all together. Fill avocado shells with this mixture, piling it up.
Combine sauce ingredients until it reaches a drizzle-able consistency. Drizzle desired amount over the avocado, putting the excess in a bowl that can be added at time of eating (or save as a salad dressing).
Serve on a bed of greens, sprinkle with hemp seeds and extra black pepper, if desired.
Thanks for reading!