Skip to main content

Avocado

Grilled Vegetable Salad with Tofu

One of the perks of fame: getting five-star food without leaving the sofa. Whenever Denise Richards craves a healthy, delicious meal, she calls private chef Dorte Lambert, founder of DL Creations. Don't be put off by the high fat count in this dish; it's mostly the heart-friendly unsaturated kind.

Tuna, Fennel, Avocado, and Tangerine Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

Taste restaurant is something of an anomaly in Tinseltown: low-key, affordable and friendly; the hostess smiles whether you're wearing Chanel or Old Navy. It's no wonder that stars such as Cameron Diaz and Selma Blair like to dine here. This salad, from chef Cathy Halter, is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, which may reduce heart disease risk.

Crudites and Dips

**Editor's note:**This recipe is reprinted from Rose Hammick's and Charlotte Packer's book Great Parties for Kids. For Hammick's and Packer's tips on throwing a kids' summer party, click here. Hummus and guacamole served with breadsticks and veggie sticks make great finger foods for toddlers. Older children love these too, but make sure you offer a selection of breadsticks, chips, and pita bread for those few kids who turn up their noses at the sight of raw vegetables, however sweet and juicy they are.

Tangy Avocado-Orange Salad

For a richer version, add a little olive oil.

Avocado Daiquiri

This delicious tweak on a classic is from Hip Sips by Lucy Brennan (Chronicle Books, Spring 2007) and was featured as a Cocktail of the Month.

Guacamole con Frutas

Don't worry about the fat; it's mostly the healthy kind in the avocado. Mixing in fruits boosts this appetizer's fiber count.

Avocado Soup with Ancho Cream

Serve this creamy, chilled soup as a refreshing first course.

Guacamole with Fresh Corn and Chipotle

Forget placing the avocado pit in your guacamole — unless you like how it looks. It doesn't stop the dip from turning brown.

Chipotle Chicken Salad

We started out with half the amount of corn chips but increased the quantity because we love their addictive crunch in this Southwest-influenced salad.

Avocado Ice

(Nieve de Aguacate) Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Zarela Martinez's book The Food and Life of Oaxaca. Martinez also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. To read more about Martinez and Oaxacan cuisine, click here. The idea of making ice cream from avocados is not strange or outlandish to Oaxacans. In many Latin American countries, avocados are eaten as dessert. (Brazilians make them into a sweet mousse.) Nieve de Aguacate is one of the perennial favorites at Oaxaca City ice-cream stands. It is naturally creamier than the usual fruit-based nieves; but some acid is necessary to offset the blandness of the avocado. Fresh lime juice is the perfect complement.

Watercress, Orange, and Avocado Salad

To dress up a typical watercress salad for the holidays, Santibañez added orange segments, avocados, and a sweet-tangy pomegranate dressing.

Rotini and Black Bean Salad

Few summer lunches are as nutritious and filling as this chilled Southwestern meal from the new Pasta Salad cookbook by Barbara Lauterbach (Chronicle Books). The recipe features whole-wheat rotini — that is, healthy carbs — for a fix of fiber, ripe summer vegetables, and heart-helping avocado. These are carbs you won't want to cut.

Star Salad: Mixed Beets and Avocados

Actress Bridget Moynahan is fueled both by stardom and foods that keep her in top form. "I love beets," Moynahan says. She can get her fix with this dish from Axe, her healthy eatery of choice. Pick up organic fixings at a farmers' market and enjoy!

BLT with Avocado Spread

Up the nutritional ante of the traditional BLT by trading white bread for whole-wheat to add fiber, subbing leaner bacon to shave calories and fat and topping it with romaine lettuce instead of iceberg for a dose of vitamin A. Don't worry — you won't miss the mayo when you taste this zingy avocado spread.

Steamed Salmon Salad with Grapefruit-Ginger Dressing

It's tough to find a better source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids than salmon. Add greens, grapefruit, and avocado, and you're well on your way to your 5 a Day.
27 of 41