Opinion: Holy Guacamole! A Healthy Fat

Posted on May 16, 2013 by pgblogadmin

Are you still under the influence of the 1980s When big hair, rolled jeans and those little blue characters were on Saturday morning television We ditched those trends (thankfully) but one trend from the eighties continues — low-fat diets.

Is this such a bad thing Well, it can be because it makes us afraid of trying foods that are higher in healthy fat. As your nutrition expert, I am here to tell you that healthy fat is where it’s at.

And healthy fat can come from a little fruit in the produce aisle.

Avocados are a great source of healthy fat and other nutrients. Here is just a peek at what a serving (one-fifth) of an avocado provides: — Monounsaturated fats to help lower your blood cholesterol…

Read the full article from the Austin Daily Herald HERE

Vegan Avocado, Broccoli, & Carrot Smoothie

Posted on May 14, 2013 by pgblogadmin

Ingredients:

1 avocado

1 piece of broccoli (if you have a stalk of broccoli you can use)

1 handful of oak leaves lettuce

2 carrots (juice)

2 sprigs of parsley

1 apple

1 pinch of ginger or cinnamon

Directions:

Wash all vegetables. Place carrots, broccoli and apple in the juicer. Start the juicer and keep the juice. Peel the avocado.

In a blender, put the avocado, oak leaves and parsley. Mix. Add vegetable juice. Stop the blender to mix the salad that may sometimes stick against the side of blender. The smoothie is ready when the mixture is smooth.

Sprinkle with cinnamon or ginger.

The smoothie like juices, is served immediately. Indeed, its properties will quickly oxidize in contact with air.

*Recipe adapted from TastingGoodNaturally.com

Avocado Creme Brulee

Posted on May 9, 2013 by pgblogadmin

Ingredients:
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 medium-firm ripe Hass avocados, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar, for topping

Directions:
Place the condensed milk and avocados into a food processor and process until the mixture is velvety smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse for a few more seconds after each addition.

At this point, taste the avocado cream to check if the lemon juice is giving the right balance. I usually use 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and add a drop or two more, if necessary.

Using a rubber spatula, scrape the mixture into four ramekins, making sure it is nice and flat inside the ramekin. Chill for 4 hours in the refrigerator.

Right before serving, spread a thin layer of sugar evenly over the top of each custard.
Ignite the torch to medium. Melt the sugar by moving the flame back and forth across the custard while maintaining a distance of 2 inches between the flame and the surface. The sugar will melt, bubble, then turn into a golden caramel. In less than a minute, it will harden to a delicious crust. Allow to cool for 3 to 5 minutes before serving. Do not brûlée the dessert more than 20 minutes in advance of serving.

*Recipe adapted from Food Republic

5 beauty ideas made better with organics

Posted on May 7, 2013 by pgblogadmin

Beauty advice is everywhere. Sure, advice may be well-intentioned, but many times, not well researched. This can give organicnewbies a big black eye. Or at least a burned cheek. Not necessary. Just know that organic ingredients really do work, that’s both the good news and the bad news. I’ll knock down some so /so ideas and offer some better suggestions instead.

1. Use fresh lemons on your face or body

Bad: In one major publication, a beauty writer suggested that you can take the juice of half a lemon, spread it on your face, leave on overnight, and voila, age spots gone. This is so wrong. Please don’t do this. You’ll be exposed to more acid then in a professional dermatologists’ chemical peel.

Why it’s bad: It’s a strong natural acid.

Better: Lemon does contain high levels of natural acid, is a detoxifier, anti fungal, anti bacterial and skin lightener. It brightens skins, lifts age spots, and loosens dead skin. But you need to harness all of the acidic power in a safer way.

Mix half – one tablespoon lemon juice with your favorite organic soap, lather, (not liquid soap) gently apply to skin, allow soap bubbles to stay on your face one to three minutes, rinse well.

Use one or two times a day. Even this amount can irritate your skin, so if you feel uncomfortable tingling, reduce to once a day or even less, like one to three times a week.

2. Plain avocado facial to moisturize skin

Why it’s bad: Although not dangerous, avocado contains high levels of natural acids and can actually result in a little drying. Plus it’s very messy.

Better: Avocado is packed with vitamins and awesome fat, and is readily available organic.Add olive oil and you’ve got a great face and hair masque. It’s far neater to apply, and you’ll get moisturized skin and hair, plus shiny manageable hair. One Avocado plus a half cup extra virgin organic olive oil, mash well until completely mixed. That should do the trick.

Discover three more great beauty tips and read the rest of the article HERE

Avocado Waffles

Posted on May 2, 2013 by pgblogadmin

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. cornmeal

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 eggs, separated

1/2 cup mashed avocado (about one small avocado)

1 cup buttermilk

1 tbsp. honey

Directions:

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

Combine egg yolks, avocado, buttermilk, and honey in a blender, and puree until smooth. Set aside.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Combine avocado mixture with dry ingredients, mixing until just combined, then add one-quarter of the egg whites to the mix. Fold batter into remaining egg whites until what results is a fluffy pale green batter cloud.

Cook in waffle maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Serve with maple syrup and fresh fruit if desired.

*Recipe adapted from EmVandee.wordpress.com

Learn How to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo the right Way!

Posted on April 30, 2013 by pgblogadmin

On May 5, 1862, the Mexican Army, against all odds, defeated French forces in the Battle of Puebla. On Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for the 5th of May), many Mexicans around the world celebrate their Mexican ancestry and people of all backgrounds can take the time to appreciate Mexican culture. Here’s how to enjoy the festivities

Step 1:
Learn about the significance of Cinco de Mayo. Lots of people think it’s Mexico’s Independence Day, but that’s on September 16. The Battle of Puebla wasn’t a turning point in the Mexican and French conflict, as the French invasion succeeded the following year. The significance of the Battle of Puebla is that Mexico was the underdog; at that time, the French Army was considered the greatest military force on the globe, having remained undefeated for 50 years.^[1] The Mexican forces were outnumbered (4,500 vs. 6,040) yet after being attacked, they suffered far fewer losses (83 Mexicans died, 462 French died).^[2] Talk about beating the odds!

Step 2:
Indulge in Mexican cuisine. For a more authentic experience, steer clear of Mexican fast food chains like Taco Bell and Pollo Loco. Go for an authentic Mexican meal, rather than Tex Mex (“Texas Mexican,” or Americanized Mexican food). For example, did you know that nachos are rarely eaten in Mexico? And that no one puts cheddar cheese in their tacos or tostadas? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Read the rest rest of the article HERE

Diane Estrella Learned How Sweet and Versatile Paradise Grove Avocados Are

Posted on April 25, 2013 by pgblogadmin

Can you imagine knowing that these beautiful avocados were picked specifically with you in mind???! Paradise Grove Avocados is a small family-minded business that desires to only put out the freshest, tastiest, healthiest avocados possible. They are a beautiful size and color, and the avocado itself, is delicious any way you slice it.

Paradise Grove Avocados also has lots of recipe suggestions at their site for those who may need new ideas of how to incorporate avocados into your diet. Chocolate Avocado Mousse! Yes, please!!! Who knew how sweet and versatile avocados could be??!!

Read the review and enter the giveaway HERE

Cinco de Mayo – May 5th, 2013

Posted on April 23, 2013 by pgblogadmin

About 14 million pounds of avocados are consumed each year on May 5th during Cinco de Mayo festivities.

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for “fifth of May”) is a celebration held on May 5. It is celebrated in the United States and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla,where the holiday is called El Día de la Batalla de Puebla (English: The Day of the Battle of Puebla).It originated with Mexican-American communities in the American West as a way to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War, and today the date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.

Scallop Ceviche Spoons with Avocado and Mango

Posted on April 18, 2013 by pgblogadmin

Ingredients:
14oz big, juicy scallops
2 inch fresh root ginger (peeled)
1 red chilli (seeds and membranes removed)
4 juicy limes (untreated)
1 large mango
1 large avocado
1 echalion (a type of shallot, large and pink)
2oz fresh coriander
olive oil

Directions:
Clean the scallops, removing the tough muscle, wash them and pat the dry thoroughly with kitchen towel. Cut into dice with a sharp knife – you don’t want to bruise them too much or they’ll release too much water.

Remove the lime peels with a zester. Finely chop the peel and chilli and add both to the scallops. Juice the limes, grate the ginger and pour over the scallops, gently stirring through. Leave to cure in the fridge for 2 hours.

Peel the mango and avocado, remove the pita, and dice. Peel and finely chop the echalion. Add to the scallop and carefully stir through, without bruising the avocado. Drain, reserving the marinade in a bowl. Season the ceviche with salt, pepper, some olive oil and the remaining marinade, to taste. Especially if serving on spoons, the mixture should be quite dry. Chop the coriander finely and stir into the ceviche just before serving.

*Recipe adapted from: The Passionate Cook

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