Avocado

Avocado oil is a monounsaturated fat. The purified oil has a very high smoke point of about 510°F/265°C, making it suitable for the very hottest types of frying.
The avocado, also known as the avocado pear or alligator pear, is a starchy high-fat fruit. Like the tomato, it is not sweet and is sometimes considered a vegetable. The avocado is very popular in vegetarian cuisine, making a good substitute for meats and cheeses in sandwiches because of the high fat content. The fruit is not sweet, but starchy, flavorful, and of smooth, more or less creamy, texture. Avocados have a large smooth pit and a leathery skin, both of which are easy to remove. The flesh is typically greenish yellow to golden yellow if ripe, turning dark soon after exposure to air. Mashed avocados are excellent baby food.
Avocado varieties can be classified into two types. The type grown in dry areas has a rough dark skin which may be almost black. This type is the size of a small pear. It is the creamiest and best tasting because of its high fat content. The type grown in wet areas has a bright green skin. It is larger, perhaps 5 inches long and 3.5 in diameter. This type is commonly chosen for the more-attractive skin and for reduced calories, though it is generally inferior for eating.Avocados ripen a few days after they are picked, but ripen faster if stored with other fruit such as bananas.Avocados have a taste reminiscent of Century eggs.

Nutrition Facts

Avocado is very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Folate. Each avocado has 230 calories.

Seasonality

The precise season for avocados depends highly on the cultivar, but nearly all varieties reach their peak season around spring. The Hass avocado is the only variety that is available all year.Northern Hemisphere Feb-June.Southern Hemisphere August-december.

Avacado Recipe
Guacamole is a spicy Mexican (or Tex-Mex) paste made from crushed avocado and various seasonings, usually including onions, peppers, garlic and tomatoes. Guacamole is used as a condiment, an ingredient, and as an appetizer when served with tortilla chips.
Recipes
Ingredients

3 avocados

2 tablespoons pico de gallo

juice of 1/2 lime

1 chopped Jalapeño OR 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper OR 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 minced jalapeño OR 2 minced serrano chiles OR 2 tablespoon minced any chile pepper like (adjust for spiciness)

Procedure

Pit the avocados. Score avocado meat without cutting through the skin. Scoop out one avocado with a large spoon and place in mixing bowl. Add the lime juice and stir to evenly coat the avocados. Stir in the Pico de Gallo, garlic, oil, jalapeño, salt, red pepper, and black pepper, mashing and tossing the avocado pieces until thoroughly mixed. Then scoop out the other avocados and gently mix and toss in the larger pieces. The guacamole is the right consistency when more large pieces than mashed parts remain. Garnish with a sprig of cilantro.

Recipe (quick)

This recipe is great if you have the ripe avocadoes because you can make it in about five minutes.
Ingredients

3-4 ripe avocados

juice of 1/2 lime

mild storebought salsa
Procedure

Peel, seed, and mash the avocados.

Add the juice of 1/2 lime.

Stir in store bought (but fresh) mild or medium salsa to taste. Serve immediately.

VariantFor fancier version, make your own Pico de Gallo and use instead of store-bought salsa.

Eggplant

Eggplant

Eggplant is a very bitter vegetable and it must be prepared carefully.

Eggplant (also known as aubergine) is a shiny bulbous vegetable in the nightshade family that comes in green, white, or, more commonly, purple. The eggplant itself is actually a berry, and its edible watertight skin and disc-like seeds show clearly its similarity to peppers and tomatoes. Unlike its cousins, however, the eggplant has a firm, dense flesh that is too bitter to eat raw. Eggplants range in size from large purple gourds bigger than a person's hand to tiny marble-sized green Asian eggplants. The smaller varieties are said to be less bitter and to need less preparation. Many people find eggplant to be an acquired taste. Its versatility leads to eggplant dishes in many different cuisines, from Japan to India to Italy.
Eggplant is a very bitter vegetable and it must be prepared carefully. The usual preparation method is to slice it, wash it well, and then rub it with salt. The salt pulls out the bitter juices via osmosis, so when preparing it is often best to put the slices of eggplant on a rack over a sink or on paper towels. Wash the salt off after at least thirty minutes, dry thoroughly, and cook the eggplant as desired. When the eggplant has been "purged" in this manner, the flesh becomes much more absorbent and flexible, like a sponge, and is excellent at absorbing other liquids and flavors. One must be careful, though, as it also easily absorbs oil, and often a small amount of salt remains in the flesh. Another cleaning method is to simply soak the pieces in clean cold water or milk for thirty minutes.
On the other hand, some modern varieties of eggplant are bred to be free from bitterness, and can be cooked without this sort of preparation. Experimentation may be needed to balance any bitterness with sweeter flavours within the same dish or meal; this is why eggplants and tomatoes work so well together.
Once prepared, eggplant may be stuffed, grilled, fried, baked, or stir-fried. It is an essential ingredient in several savoury dishes, most notably the Greek moussaka.