How to Buy and Eat an Avocado
The secret to thoroughly enjoying the delicious creaminess of an avocado is to pick one that is ripe. A ripe avocado will yield slightly to the touch when pressed, and this slight softness indicates it’s ready to eat. It’s often difficult to find a ripe avocado in the store, but it will ripen at home in a few days in a paper bag or on the kitchen counter. Plan in advance so you’ll have ripe avocados when you need them. Do not refrigerate avocados.
When shopping for avocados, select fruit that is unblemished, without cracks or dark sunken spots.
How to Eat an Avocado
Once you know how to pick avocado, you’ll want to make something delish out of this fruit (yes, it’s a fruit!). Guacamole is the most popular way to eat avocado. There are many variations on this basic recipe, the simplest probably being to mash a ripe avocado with equal amount of prepared salsa.
• Spread on toasted whole-grain bread and topped with salsa
• As a garnish for turkey tacos
• Diced into any green leafy salad
If you’re counting calories, that’s no reason to exclude avocados from your diet, just use them judiciously. For example:
• Spread a bit of mashed avocado on a sandwich in place of mayo (avocado calories are better than those from mayonnaise).
• Chop and sprinkle avocado on top of a bean soup.
• Add to tofu with spices and blend to make a deliciously creamy dressing
