News – Riding the Avocado Wave: 5 Unique Recipes to Impress your Customers

Thanks to the increasing worldwide interest in healthy eating, avocados are quickly becoming a staple in peoples’ every day diets and on restaurant and café menus as well. Being one of the best sources of vitamins E and B, folate, fibre, and monounsaturated fats, it’s no wonder why menu items with avocado are among the most popular in restaurants.  

Yet when we think about avocados, what usually comes to mind are salads, guacamole, or avocado toast. However, there are countless other ways this superfood can be made into a meal, dessert, or appetizer. The recipes below – which differ in style but are adaptable to any menu — are just a few ideas to take advantage of the avocado trend, helping maximize your business’ popularity, ratings, and profit.

1.  Avocado Chili Brownies

A Mexican twist on a classic, indulgent dessert. This unique treat is the perfect way for your customer’s meal to “go out with a bang”.

INGREDIENTS:

• Pinch sea salt
• 175g flour
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 280g dark chocolate chips
• 1 stick butter
• 250g FreshMex Smooth Avocado Pulp
• 345g granulated sugar
• 110g brown sugar
• 5 eggs, divided
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

PROCEDURE:

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C. Butter and flour baking pan.
2. In a medium sized bowl, combine salt, flour, cocoa powder, and chili. Set aside.
3. In a medium pot over heat, melt chocolate and butter until smooth. Add avocado pulp and stir until combined.
4. Turn off heat and add granulated and brown sugar. Stir until combined.
5. Cool mixture to room temperature. Add 3 eggs and vanilla, stirring until combined. Add remaining eggs and stir.
6. Slowly fold in dry ingredients. Pour into prepared pan and spread out evenly.
7. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve while fresh.

Adapted from Muy Bueno (muybuenocookbook.com).

2. Avocado Margaritas
Avocadoes and Margaritas are two popular items, so putting them both together is a guaranteed win. Replace Tequila with Sprite to create a Mocktail version.

INGREDIENTS:

• 57ml Tequila Blanco Reposado
• 57ml FreshMex Lemon & Lime Juice – Margarita Mix
• 30ml agave nectar
• 88g FreshMex Smooth Avocado Pulp
• Lime salt

PROCEDURE:

1. Place all ingredients in the blender until combined and texture becomes smooth. Serve and garnish with lime salt.

Adapted from Adriana’s Best Recipes (adrianasbestrecipes.com).

3. Spicy Apple Guacamole
Adding green apple dices to guacamole introduces a tart yet refreshing flavour. This is a perfect appetizer for any time of the year, but especially fitting for Autumn.

INGREDIENTS:

• 250g FreshMex Chunky Avocado Pulp
• ½ large green apple, diced
• 43g chopped cilantro
• ½ jalapeño, diced
• 7ml FreshMex Lime Juice
• 43g diced red onion
• 1 tsp kosher salt

PROCEDURE:

1. Mix avocado pulp, apple, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice, red onion, and salt.
2. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Adapted from Megan at A Dash of Megnut (adashofmegnut.com).

4. Hot Avocado Fries
An underrated yet extremely delicious recipe that will win over even your health conscious customers. Serve as an appetizer or side dish.

INGREDIENTS:

• 255g bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp ground flax
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 egg
• 350g FreshMex Avocado Halves
• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• Salt and hot sauce to taste

PROCEDURE:
1. Preheat oven to 200°C
2. Combine bread crumbs, flax, and chili powder in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk 1 egg.
3. Cut avocado halves into 16 slices total.
4. Dip wedges in egg, press into breadcrumb mixture (be sure to cover all sides) and transfer to a baking sheet.
5. Coat with cooking spray. Bake until outside is crispy (12-15 minutes).
6. Season with salt and hot sauce. Serve while fresh.

Adapted from Jennifer Iserloh at Epicurious (epicurious.com).

5. Avocado Spaghetti
Pasta – and other high-carb items – are often avoided by health conscious customers. This recipe, however, which is packed with healthy fats and proteins, will cause even the pickiest eaters to reconsider.

INGREDIENTS:

• 250g spaghetti
• 200g FreshMex Smooth Avocado Pulp
• 45ml Freshmex Lemon Juice
• 1 clove garlic
• 20ml olive oil
• 1 tbsp pesto
• Pinch of salt

PROCEDURE:

1. Boil pasta in pot with salted water.
2. Blend avocado pulp, lemon juice, pesto, olive oil, garlic, and salt.
3. Once pasta is finished, drain and toss with sauce. Serve while fresh.

Adapted from Rosie at The Londoner (thelondoner.me).