The Paradigm of Produce

There I am, in the grocery store, in Iowa. Strollin' around gazing at the too-shiny red peppers and wishing for a giant pile of beets to manifest themselves on the shelf, being too bashful to simply walk up to the salesperson and say, "Ya got any beets?" I'm just about ready to throw in the towel and ask anyway, despite the knowledge of their likely response (a look that screams, "Why would you want those?") when *POW*...I see something that grabs my attention. My brow furrows, the corners of my mouth turn down, I stare aghast. There, in one of those little produce bins, is something freaky: a "skinny" avocado.

"HALF THE FAT!" the sticker says. "YOU CAN EAT THIS AND NOT BE FAT!" it wants you to think. If there were any truth in advertising, the sticker would read something like this: "THIS IS A GENETICALLY MODIFIED MUTANT STRAIN OF ALMOST-FOOD ABOMINATIONS!" Why do people shy away from avocados? Is it the fat content? Do you instead congratulate yourself when you schmear a palm-sized wad of butter on your cinnamon roll?

Forgive those who forsake the avocado. They know not what they do.

The avocado is one of nature's perfect offerings, amazing in it's simple splendor. They're full of fat (shriek!) but it's the good kind, the kind that helps your bod stay in balance, the kind called "monounsaturated fat" that is also found in tree nuts, seeds, and olives (and all their subsequent oils). You want MORE of this fat, and less of that other crap. As a side note, here's a rough way to tell the difference: if the fat is solid at room temperature, it goes under the nasty column. That goes for bacon, butter, lard, and all types of animal fat. These will all clog your heart and make you fatter (you know this, so stop eating it).

Avocados are wonderful for you, not to mention deeeeeeelicious! My primary use for them is in salads like this one, and for what I like to call "Shelley's Perfect On-The-Run Wacky Snacky" (split an avocado in half and scoop out the flesh with blue corn chips). However, I'm discovering that avocados have a world of other uses...

...wait for it...

That's right. More cake. I told you that recipe went too well...

But instead of using my quick/lazy ganache, why not bust out some avocado buttercream?

Or how about this...

A vegan avocado milkshake with chocolate! Doesn't that look amazing! I'll answer for you...

SHYEAH IT DOES!

Eat more avocados, especially in their pure unadorned state (which means that the shakes and cakes are just for funsies, not for everyday...duh). Buy lots of them when they're cheap, and don't feel bad if you have to pass when they're expensive. Just eat them as often as you can, and watch your body get healthier with every passing day.

Visit Joy the Baker's blog for her Chocolate Avocado Cake topped with Alton Brown's Avocado Buttercream. She takes pretty pictures too, obviously.

(milkshake photo from here)

("Avocado Halves" is by Andrew Rubtstov)