AVOCADO HUMMUS

Today is St. Patrick’s Day and instead of making the usual Shephed’s Pie, I am making Avocado Hummus. It’s green, so that’s o.k. right? If there’s a fruit that deserves an award, it would be avocado. It’s rich, creamy and contains 20 different vitamins and minerals. Trust me, I googled it. It’s basically a super fruit. I remember it was kind of hard to find years ago and was expensive, but I feel like they’re getting cheaper and easier to find nowadays.

How to pick them? What an ugly, weird looking fruit right? o.k. maybe not as bad as jack fruit or durian, but it’s up there. When it’s ripe, the skin should be very dark green, almost black. To test, place it in the palm of your hand then gently squeeze without applying your fingertips, as this can cause bruising. If the avocado yields to firm gentle pressure, you know it’s ripe and ready-to-eat. If it’s still hard and green, then leave them on the counter top for a few days, then put them in the fridge to stop the ripeness. They’re good in the fridge for a week or so. Some people also say put a banana or apple in the brown bag with the avocados, it will release some sort of magic gas that helps it ripe faster.

I love avocado because I should not be eating a bowl of anything that is this creamy (i.e. mayo, cream cheese, or sour cream, etc.) but with avocado, I do not feel bad at all. So, I have used it in a few recipes and hope you give them a try as well.

Avocado Toast with Bacon and Egg

Avocado Pesto Pasta

Tomato Avocado Salad with Balsamic Reduction

Shrimp Guacamole

Green Smoothie

And if you like hummus, my other go-to is the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus recipe.  And if you feel extra domestic, try to bake your own Crispy Flatbread. But regular store bought Pita chips are totally fine. I found the spinach, kale chips that screaming Happy St. Patrick’s. #musthave.

Let’s cook some food!

Actually there’s no cooking involved here. You just need to blend everything in a food processor or blender. A recipe for success! Especially if you’re hung over. ha ha ha

First, drain chickpeas. I use 1 (15 oz.) can. By the way, another name of chickpeas is garbanzo beans.

Throw everything in the food processor (drained chickpeas, tahini, avocado halves, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and ground cumin).

Love the color already!

Blend until combined.

There you have it, Avocado Hummus.

I like sprinkle a little cayenne and additional olive oil on the top and garnish with a cilantro leaf, but it’s totally optional for you.

I hope you give this Avocado Hummus a try. Have a happy St. Patrick’s Day!