All About Avocados

A is for avocado and all things awesome, and as autumn is ages away, let us all awe at avocados and avocado-centric recipes. Afterall, an avocado has an amazing aroma and taste. And of course, all of us avocado aficionados anchor an apparent augusto for all things avocado!

Ok, I’ll admit I’ve exhausted the thesauruses’ ‘A’ section, so let us gently move a-bit-away (I still got it!) from the avocado alliteration (zing!) and onto the wonderful benefits of this astounding fruit.

Yes, you read correctly! Avocados are fruits! They’re actually berries (is your mind blown yet? Ours are.) But we understand the confusion; when we think of berries, we think juicy little bunches such as grapes—but an avocado is a single-seeded berry. According to the University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources, fruits are a flower’s matured ovary and consist of a tough skin or rind and fleshy middle wrapped around a seed.

Avocados are rich in potassium and protein—two things we love. And in fact, one avocado has more potassium than a banana and four grams of protein, making it one of the highest protein-packed fruits around. Plus, avocados contain 18 vital amino acids needed to build protein in the body.

We know better than anyone else the pangs of longing felt while gazing at a rock-hard unripened avocado on the kitchen counter—so close, yet so far from that fresh guacamole calling your name. Fret not, however, as we’ve got a secret tip to ripen your avocados more quickly: add a banana or apple to a brown paper bag and place your unripe avocados inside! The naturally occurring ethylene gas speeds up the avocados ripening process! Guacamole (and so much more), here we come!

Now that you’ve got perfectly plump and ripened avocados, indulge your appetite with these five appealing avocado accoutrements (Was that a bit of a stretch? We a-a-a-pologize.)

1. Creamy Avocado Enchiladas
2. Raw Spiced Pomegranate Avocado Salad
3. Grilled Tomato & Basil Panini
4. Avocado & Banana Dessert Pudding
5. Unique Avocado Bread
6. *Bonus* Avocado-Strawberry Chocolate Pie