Call me gender-biased, but avocados are one of those foods that I lump into a discreet category of good eats I consider “girl food.” I say this based on the four females under my roof who have a love for avocados unmatched by the lone male. Sure Mr. Mom’s Kitchen can take down a bowl of guacamole, no problem, but I’ve never seen him eat an avocado smashed onto whole grain toast for breakfast, or diced into a salad of citrus and little gems for lunch, or doused with lime and salt and eaten straight from the peel for a snack.
And so it doesn’t surprise me that Absolutely Avocados, a delightful new cookbook devoted entirely to this fabulous fruit, was written by a woman.
Avocados as girl food makes sense. It’s a sensuous food chock full of nourishing properties especially suited to women: vitamin E for healthy skin, along with folic acid, that “must have” nutrient for pregnancy. They’re also an excellent source of both potassium and fiber (and not bad whipped into a luscious face mask).
But aren’t avocados high in fat and calories?
Relative to other fruits and vegetables, yes, they are. Half of a Hass avocado weighs in at about 130 calories and 12 grams of fat. But the fat has some serious upsides:
1. It’s mostly monounsaturated (the cholesterol-lowering, “heart healthy” kind).
2. It’s part of what gives avocados staying power (they fill you up).
3. It aids the absorption of other nutrients (add avocado to a chopped salad , for example, and the vitamins in the veggies will be better absorbed).
Fruit magic, that is.
The real reason to eat avocados, though, isn’t because they’re good for you, but because they’re good. And nobody can show you how to make the most of an avocado better than Gaby Dalkins and her Absolutely Avocados cookbook. The 80-recipe book devotes one chapter entirely to guacamole (hello!), but then moves into new territory with recipes using avocados in all manner of inventive and inspiring dishes.
Case in point is this Southwestern Egg Casserole
These Avocado Super Food Smoothies
And even Avocado Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lucky for one of you, I’m giving away a copy as part of my Month of Mother’s Day Giveaways. You can enter one of two ways (or both):
1. “Like” Mom’s Kitchen Handbook on Facebook and let me know you’ve done so in the comments section below.
2. Leave a comment below saying how you and your family enjoy avocados.
Contest ends Wednesday May 22nd at midnight PST. Must be 18 years or older, live in the United States, and not be related to me.
Disclosure: Mom’s Kitchen Handbook received a complimentary copy of Absolutely Avocados for this giveaway. The opinions expressed are completely my own.