| Food Focus: The Evocative Avocado |
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 One of my favorite things about avocados is that their rich creaminess makes them truly decadent to eat, either in guacamole, soup, or on a sandwich. As they are a relatively high fat, high calorie vegetable, they are also one of the healthiest things you can have in your diet. Oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat (aka a good fat) can lower LDL (the bad) cholesterol while elevating the HDL (the good) cholesterol. Avocados are also a good source of potassium (supporting circulatory health) and folate (good for the heart). They contain carotenoids and tocopherols, which in combination, assist in the absorption of lutein and carotenoids from the other vegetables that are often combined with avocados. In other words, when avocado is added to your salsa, you are better able to absorb the nutrients in the tomatoes, onions, peppers and whatever else you put in your salsa and might protect you a bit from the cholesterol found in the corn chips you would probably serve it with. Avocados are also the perfect summer food. As they don't tend to respond well to cooking, the best way to enjoy them is raw. And depending on what you pair them up with, you can have a full meal without heating up the kitchen.  Cold Avocado and Cucumber with ShrimpPrep time: 15 minutes (not including chilling time) Serves: 4 2 Tablespoons olive oil 1 small white onion, minced 1 jalapeño chili, seeded, minced (optional) 3 garlic cloves, minced 4 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, chopped 2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth 5 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 cups (or more) water 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel 8 ounce carton plain yogurt 8 ounces cooked bay shrimp (crab, chicken, or tofu can be substituted) 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives 1. Place everything except shrimp, cucumbers, 1 Tbsp of lemon juice and chives in a blender. If the blender is small, you can process the veggies with the yogurt and add to the chicken broth. Puree until smooth. A hand-held immersion blender can also be used. 2. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in 2 cups water and lemon peel. Thin soup with more water, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 3 hours. 3. Meanwhile, mix shrimp, cucumber, chives, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours. 4. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with shrimp. This is a very rich soup, so feel free to experiment with proportions of vegetables to liquid. If you don't have some type of blender, everything can be chopped very fine while smashing the avocado with a potato masher, or putting a chopped avocado in plastic bag and gently mashing. Cut one of the bottom corners out of the bag and squeeze into your bowl. |
