Avocado hummus
Blend 2 large ripe avocados with a 400g can of drained chickpeas, 1/3 cup of the chickpea water, 1 tbs tahini paste, 1/3 cup of lemon juice, a clove of garlic, a pinch of salt, 1 tsp of ground cumin, ¼ bunch of fresh coriander and ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil for a deliciously creamy avocado hummus.
Dairy-free ice-cream
Blend the flesh of 2 large, ripe avocados, with 2 frozen bananas (chopped), 2-3 tbs lime juice, 300ml of coconut cream and 1/3 cup of maple syrup. Freeze in a covered loaf pan for 6 hours before serving.
Green mayonnaise
Blitz 1 large ripe avocado with 3 tbs of apple cider vinegar, 1 heaped tsp of Dijon mustard, a pinch of sea salt, ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil and 1 tbs maple syrup for smooth, green vegan mayonnaise.
Plant alternative to butter
Use avocado in pastry as a plant alternative to butter. Simply mix 180g of avocado flesh, 2 tbs olive oil, a pinch of sea salt and 3-4 tbs chilled water into 400g self-raising flour to form a smooth dough. Rest for 30 minutes, then roll out to use in sweet or savoury tart recipes.
Chocolate mousse
Make an addictive avocado chocolate mousse by blitzing the flesh of 3 large ripe avocadoes, 8 chopped medjool dates, 1/3 cup cacao powder, 125ml coconut cream, 1/3 cup of maple syrup, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste and a pinch of sea salt until rich and smooth. Top with fresh berries, toasted coconut or chopped nuts.
Perfect flavour matches
- Lemon/lime juice or anything acidic like vinegar
- Soy sauce or anything with a salty edge
- Chocolate or cacao – avocado can be used as a plant alternative to butter in many desserts
- Chilli, whether in the form of a hot sauce or chilli oil, or fresh chopped jalapeno
- Fresh herbs such as coriander, dill, mint, tarragon and parsley.
Tips: Slicing avo for a salad? Drizzle the slices with a little lime or lemon juice – this stops them turning brown.
If your avo is too soft for salad, mash or puree it with a little lemon pepper seasoning instead. Serve it as a sauce with the rissoles.
For more avocado ideas, see here.