Fresh Fridays 
Avacados for hot summer days

 

Now is the perfect time to turn to shortcuts that can help you prepare tasty Mediterranean meals without spending too much time in the kitchen. Take advantage of seasonal fruits and vegetables available throughout the summer and find ways to use them in easy new ways: in cold soups, grain salads, dips, and pasta dishes.

 

California avocados are easy to find everywhere now. A perfect addition to relaxed summer meals, they add a beautiful color, creamy texture, and delectable flavor to a wide range of foods. Plus, they're nutrient dense and a source of "good" fats (75 percent of the fat in an avocado is unsaturated.)

 

Here are three easy recipes that use avocados:

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gaspacho with avacado

Avocado Gazpacho

Avocados add a smooth, creamy texture to this classic summer soup. Plan to make it ahead of time. On a hot day it is especially refreshing if you chill it for several hours before serving. To stretch it into a meal, serve with additional toppings such as chopped hard-boiled eggs, whole-grain croutons, diced bell peppers, and fresh chopped parsley or basil.

Click here for complete recipe


Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Avocado

Mediterranian Pasta Salad with Avacado

Make a bowl of this tasty salad for your next picnic lunch, office party, or casual weekend meal. It keeps well for up to three days in the refrigerator. Buy a small pasta shape to keep all the ingredients in proportion. (Check out pasta shapes marketed to kids!) Or, substitute whole grains such as barley, farro, or brown rice for the pasta.

Click here for complete recipe .  


Hass Family Guacamole

Haas Family Guacamole

This recipe from Elizabeth Hass makes guacamole just the way Rudolph Hass, owner
of the original Hass avocado tree, loved it. Simple, tasty and full of avocados! Add fresh dipping vegetables such as baby carrots, cucumber circles, red bell pepper and zucchini sticks. For some zest and more chunks add the juice of a lime and a diced roma tomato. And serve with fresh lemonade.

 

Click here for the complete recipe.  

Fresh Fridays is a bi-weekly celebration of Mediterranean eating and living. We hope our Friday recipes will remind you just how easy and delicious eating the Mediterranean way can be.

To find even more delicious Mediterranean recipes please visit:   

 Mediterranean Foods Alliance (MFA)

 avocados
SHE'S A WINNER!
 Sarah Rathbun

Sarah Rathbun won the top prize for her guacamole at the 2011 California Avocado Festival in Carpinteria.   

See her winning recipe.  

OLDWAYS BOOKSTORE
The Geometry of Pasta
The Geometry of Pasta

by Caz Hildebrand and  

Jacob Kenedy 

 

To maximize taste and texture, we recommend The Geometry of Pasta. This clever and informative book can help you develop an instinctive sense for matching a particular pasta shape with just the right sauce.