Thoughts & Tips About Avocados

[box type="shadow" align="aligncenter" ]This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Hass Avocado Board.[/box] I bought a house because of avocados. Seriously. It was the deciding factor for my first house. There was a big avocado tree in the back and rumor has it that avocados give fruit in its 7th year. Guess what year it was? Looking back, I'm wondering if the old lady got one over on me. I never did get avocados from that tree. And thus, I had to leave it.

But, this isn't about the housing market. It's about one of my favoritest fruits in the whole wide world (did you know avocado is a fruit?). I have a Pinterest board separate from my recipes that I started long before anyone asked me to write about this loveliness.

I have a confession to make, though. I have not gotten creative with them. Sure, I have my world famous avocado salad and certainly avocado makes it to the top of my chili every time. But I haven't experimented yet.

  

*Pictured here: Avocados over spring greens served next to tostones and picadillo and chicken tortilla soup with avocados on the side

This past spring I had an avocado cocktail. And in countries like Brazil, Indonesia and Vietnam, avocados are made into milkshakes and desserts. For 2014, one of my resolutions is to make desserts with it. Perhaps it can be my secret ingredient in my pumpkin bread. I wouldn't have to use oil because over 75% of the fat in an avocado is unsaturated. Which makes it a great substitute for foods high in saturated fats.

I don't always keep an eye out for what's nutritious, ya'll. Which is the other reason I love me some avo's (we're on a nickname basis, don't you know). They are nutrient-dense, cholesterol-free, sodium-free and less than 1 gram of sugar per 1 oz serving! Makes me sound all kinds of knowledgeable regarding my food intake.

Avocados make me look good on multiple fronts! And I want it to make you look good too. So here's a few tips about avocados that I have learned throughout my avocado consumption tenure:

Is It Ripe?

I'm a fan of Haas avocados though I wish they'd just sell them like bananas, in a bunch. The way I figure out if an avocado is ripe or not is by flicking the stalk (aka the button at the top of the avocado). If it comes out easily and is brown then it's overripen. But if it is hard to come out and super green then it is not yet ripe or right on the cusp. Which brings me to...

How to Ripen An Avocado?

If I were a part of B6-13*, I would use avocados as a method of torture. How, you might ask? Imagine putting a person in a room full of avocados. That are not yet ripe. Is that not the worst form of torture? Well, I've found myself in this position too often. I go to the store with a hankering for avocados and the bad boys are not yet ripe.

I take them home, put them in a brown paper bag and then put the bag in the oven. Don't turn the oven on. And set the alarm on your phone to remind you to take them out the next day. Depending on the level of original ripeness, it might take a day or 2 for this to happen. After you do this, call me over so I can help you eat them.

Give Me Your Recipe and Love One Todayâ„¢!

Do you have a sweet recipe that you want to share with me? Feel free to leave it in the comments AND go check out the recipes other folks have entered the contest! Vote for your favorite. You have until the 9th of January to help them win one of the following prizes:

• Grand Prize Package: $2,000 cash, a personal online coaching session with Harley Pasternak (celebrity fitness trainer, nutrition expert, and author) and fresh Hass Avocados gift baskets
• Second Place: $1,000 cash
• Third Place: $500 cash
• Finalists: 7 finalists will receive fresh Hass Avocados

But Wait! There's More!

Do you have an inspiring story about getting your loved ones to add fresh avocado to their diet? Enter for a chance to win for yourself and to share avocados with someone you love. Prizes include:

• 1 of 4 prize packs including $100 and fresh Hass Avocados delivered to your door
• Plus an additional package of fresh Hass Avocados delivered to someone you love

Winners will be selected on January 6, and again on January 21 so there's still time.

*Scandal reference

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Hass Avocado Board.