Avocados are among the most versatile of foods. They are delicious on their own, perhaps sprinkled with a bit of sea salt, but they pair perfectly with salads, eggs, toast, pasta, sushi, or used in sweet dishes like ice cream, fudge, frosting, and brownies. Add this delicious recipe to the plethora of avocado creations. This Avocado Garlic Butter takes advantage of the naturally mild flavor and creaminess of the fruit to create a vegan butter for anyone to enjoy on toast in the morning.
Fooddeco creator Colette Dike came up with the recipe for the creamy avocado butter while creating foods for her fifth avocado-centric cookbook, which is due to be out this fall.
“I like it more than regular butter,” she says. “Avocado has such a creamy texture and since I’m lactose intolerant myself, I thought why not make a butter out of it? It resulted in a super creamy garlic butter. My test-panel [was] super enthusiastic and even thought it was the real butter.”
Dike explains that she loves spreading the avocado butter on warm naan bread, toast, or as part of a healthy snack platter. This recipe is a first look of the new cookbook, and she has an insider tip to get the best results from this avocado butter: “You want it to be ice-cold and rolled up in your fridge to set,” she says. Otherwise, the butter may not keep its proper shape and can fall apart.
Health Benefits of Avocados
Avocados are known as superfoods and for good reason. They are rich in nutrients like vitamins C, E, K, and B-6, and magnesium, potassium, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, niacin, and folate. They are known for being dense in healthy fats, including omega-3 fatty acids. Although fat has been given a bad name in the past, it’s essential for the body. It supports skin health and enhances the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients. They also help a person feel satisfied after a meal and slow the process of breaking down carbohydrates, which can keep blood sugar levels stable.
“Avocados have great anti-inflammatory properties,” said San Diego-based nutritionist Laura Flores. She listed avocados’ “phytosterols, carotenoid antioxidants, omega 3 fatty acids and polyhydroxolated fatty alcohols” as being able to “help both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.”
Additionally, avocados are extremely beneficial for the heart, they protect the eyes, and, as mentioned, they can support bone health.
“Avocados are high in mono- and polyunsaturated fats, which may help reduce blood cholesterol levels and decrease risk for heart disease,” said Anne Mauney, a dietitian based in Washington, D.C.
Foods containing high levels of folate, like avocados, may help decrease the risk of depression, support a healthy pregnancy, has the potential to protect against certain cancers. [1]
“Avocados have been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers, including cancers of the mouth, skin, and prostate,” said Flores. This is “due to the unusual mix of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory characteristics.” [2]
Best of all, you can enjoy all of these great health benefits in almost any form, whether it’s adding cubes of avocado into a salad, placing slices onto toast, mashing them into guacamole, or baking cake or brownies. For this recipe, ensure the avocados are ripe by gently pressing against their skin. If the skin doesn’t budge, allow it to ripen for a few more days, or place it in a paper bag with a banana to speed up the process.
Avocado Garlic Butter
Recipe by Colette Dike
Ingredients
- 2 ripe avocados, pit and skin removed
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- Small bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped
- Sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Cut the avocados in half. Peel the skins and remove the pits.
- Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor until the mixture becomes super smooth. Scrape down the sides as you blend to ensure the texture is consistent. Season to taste with sea salt.
- Spread a rectangular piece of aluminum foil onto a cutting board, and put a piece of plastic wrap on top. Ensure it is the same size of the aluminum foil. Scoop the avocado mixture onto the plastic wrap and fold the plastic wrap lengthwise, rolling it up a bit, like a yule cake. Then, fold the aluminum foil and twist it in the opposite direction until it resembles a firm log.
- Refrigerate (or freeze for a quicker result) for at least three hours to allow the flavors infuse and the mixture to set and firm up.
If you like this recipe, here are some others with this superfood:
- Bean-Free Creamy Avocado ‘Hummus’
- Dark Chocolate Avocado Blueberry Muffins
- Crispy Avocado Fries
- Avocado Salad Dressing Recipe With Cayenne
The post Revamp Breakfast With This Vegan Avocado Garlic Butter appeared first on The Hearty Soul.