Avocado Time!

In the past few weeks I've been delighted to find some particularly delicious (and quite inexpensive!) avocados at the grocery store. Buttery, sweet avocados are rich in protein, Vitamins E and C, thiamine, and riboflavin. And let me tell you, there's nothing like high nutritional content in combination with fabulous flavor to get me really excited about cooking with a particular food. So, because lately I just can't seem to get enough avocados, I recently devised a few fresh, new recipes for this totally awesome fruit to add to its repertoire. I kept each dish simple, as to let the beautiful flavor of the avocado take center stage. Each makes a perfect snack or light appetizer before dinner.

Note: If you're planning on using them right away, look for avocados that are uniformly soft (but not mushy!) to the touch. Avoid shriveled-looking ones or ones with soft spots. If you are planning waiting a few days to use them, purchase ones that are uniformly firm (but not hard as a rock) and allow them to ripen in a brown paper sack on your kitchen counter. Always store avocados at room temperature. 

Avocado Wedge Salad

To give this salad a more casual look, coarsely chop the avocado, place it in a small bowl, and toss it with the dressing.

1. Prepare dressing: In a small bowl, mix together the juice of half of a lemon, 1 shallot or a bit of red onion (thinly sliced), 1 roma tomato (seeded and finely diced), about 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, a good pinch each of sea salt and black pepper. Slowly whisk in about 3 or 4 tablespoons good fruity olive oil (extra-virgin, of course). 

2. Cut an avocado in half lengthwise; remove pit. Cut each half again lengthwise; remove peel from the 4 quarters. Slice the avocado into thin wedges and arrange on a small platter. Top with the dressing. Add sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

Avocado and Cream Cheese on Rye

I baked some rye baguettes for this appetizer. To do this, simply prepare white bread dough as you normally would, except add about 3 tablespoons olive oil, replace one-fourth of the all-purpose flour with rye flour, and add 1 heaping tablespoon of caraway seeds. If you are not quite as ambitious, you can quarter slices of good Jewish caraway rye and give them a light toasting. Or just use a purchased baguette instead (but I really think this tastes awesome with the rye flavor).

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Place a rye baguette (or quartered rye slices) onto the oven rack. Allow to heat through for about 10 to 15 minutes; remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. 

2. Slice the baguette into 1/2 inch slices. Cut an avocado into thin slices. Onto each slice of bread, smear a generous layer of cream cheese. Top each slice with an avocado slice or two. Sprinkle with good sea salt, if desired.

Orange and Watercress Avocado Salad

1. Peel and cut each section from 2 naval oranges; place in a medium salad bowl. Squeeze the juice from the remaining pulp of the oranges into the bowl. Whisk in a splash of white wine vinegar and 1/4 cup olive oil. Add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper. 

2. To the salad bowl, add 1 avocado (chopped) and a bunch of watercress (stems trimmed a bit). Toss the salad to coat it thoroughly with the dressing.