Avocado

Not just for guacamole anymore,” avocado adds a creamy texture and mildly nutty flavor to salads, fish dishes, and more,” says Martin Brock, executive chef at Atria in New York City. These new ways to use the fruit:


As a soup
Mix 6 tbsp. diced cucumber, 1 diced avocado, ½ cup fresh crabmeat, 3 tbsp. lowfat yogurt, 1 tbsp. each olive oil and chopped mint, and 2 tbsp. lemon juice; divide among 6 bowls. In a food processor, puree 1 cucumber, ½ honeydew melon, 1 cup lowfat yogurt, and 2 tbsp. Lemon juice. Pour on top of avocado mixture.



As a salad
Quarter 1 avocado and toss in a small bowl with 4 halved cherry tomatoes and 1 tbsp. each olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Season with salt, sugar and cayenne pepper to taste. Place 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce in a separate bowl and top with avocado-tomato mixture. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp. crumbled feta and 1 tbsp. pitted, chopped kalamata olives.


As an entrée
Dice 1 plum tomato and 1 avocado and combine in a medium bowl with 1 tbsp. diced red pepper, ½ tsp. minced jalapeño, and the kernels from roasted corn cob. Add 1 tbsp. each cilantro, olive oil, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve on top of grilled fish, chicken, beef, or pork tenderloin.


*In ½ cup sliced avocado: 117 calories, 7 g monounsaturated fat, 5 g fiber, 198 mcg lutein