Embrace Avo Season: Healthy Recipes and Wellness Benefits

Image: THE SOUTH AFRICAN AVOCADO GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION.

The weather is getting cooler in South Africa and that means it’s avo season!

Avocados are available all year round but in the cooler months there is an abundance of them.

Not to mention they’re more affordable in season so you can have as many as you want.

One of the most popular modern foods that feature avocado, is avocado toast.

In fact avocado toast became the ultimate lifestyle benchmark. The modern concept of avocado toast made it’s appearance In the 1990s. Australian chef, Bill Granger, served it at his café. To this day, he’s known as the man who invented avocado toast. However there has been evidence found that indicates that people were enjoying avocado toast as far back as the 1920s.

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But I digress, back to avocado toast as we know it. It was actress and wellness and lifestyle entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow who catapulted the avocado toast into the popular realm. Paltrow published a recipe for the toast in her 2013 cookbook It’s All Good. Suddenly this breakfast item became a status symbol.

It also began to make news headlines in the most unexpected ways. Australian tycoon Tim Gurner said something controversial. He claimed that if millennials stopped buying avocado toast, they can afford houses. The internet of course, was up in arms and some hilarious memes were born from this statement.

This of course made the dish even more popular.

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There have been some concerns as well in the last few years, over the popularity of avocado toast. There have been reports that in Mexico the production of avocados is steeped in human rights violations and environmental instability.

South Africa is quite fortunate to have avocado producers in the country. South Africans are able to enjoy avocados that are sustainably produced. To find out how click here.

Avocados contain healthy fats like monounsaturated fats. They also provide nutrients like lutein and fibre, which are essential for cognition and mental health. The good fats found in avos may also lower the risk for depression, anxiety and other mental disorders

Avos are also a good source of insoluble fibre (70%) and soluble fibre (30%). Research suggests that eating avos may help increase healthy gut bacteria.

Here’s a recipe for you from the South African Avocado Growers’ Association to enjoy some healthy South African avos!

Spicy Tomato Steak and Avo Hummus Toasts

Serves 4-6

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

FOR THE AVO HUMMUS

· 1 avocado

· 400 g tin chickpeas, drained

· 15 ml (1 tbsp) tahini (optional)

· 1 garlic clove, crushed

· 30 ml (2 tbsp) avocado or olive oil + extra

· Juice of 1 lemon, to taste

· Salt and pepper

FOR THE SPICY TOMATO STEAK

· 300 g beef sirloin steak

· 250 g packet cherry tomatoes

· 30 ml (2 tbsp) red wine vinegar

· 15 ml (1 tbsp) chilli flakes

TO SERVE

· 4-6 slices sourdough, toasted

· 1 avocado, sliced

· Handful basil

Method:

1. For the avo hummus, blitz together all the ingredients until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

2. For the spicy tomato steak, heat a large frying pan over high heat until smoking hot. Add a splash of extra oil and fry the steak for about 3 minutes on each side for medium rare, or until cooked to your liking. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside for 5 minutes before thinly slicing.

3. Meanwhile, add the tomatoes to the hot pan with a splash of extra oil, vinegar and chilli flakes. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the tomatoes start to burst. Season with salt and pepper. Take off the heat and mix through the steak strips (don’t leave in the pan for too long, you don’t want to cook the steak further).

4. To serve, spread the toasts with avo hummus, top with the tomato steak mixture, avo slices and basil.