Make this Christmas an Avocado Christmas!

Sometimes it pays to think outside the box and when it comes to Christmas festivities changing the ingredients we use and the meals we cook to help celebrate Christmas can really help us do this.

So what about making avocados a part of your Christmas menu planning? 

The World Avocado Organisation has asked us to share these simple yet very tasty recipes with you, our readers:

Sleigh the Winter Chills With Avocado Fuelled Meals

As Winter approaches, the temperatures slowly drop and the cold winds start to blow, nothing beats the winter blues like a warm, comforting delicious homemade meal at the end of a long day. This season, the World Avocado Organisation encourages you to “sleigh” the chills in the kitchen, by adding an avocado to your seasonal meals.  Known for their creamy texture, delicious and rich flavour and nutrient-packed, avocados are the perfect superfood to keep you cosy, thriving and healthy during the winter months ahead.

More than just a summer staple, avocados are filled with beneficial nutrients to help you get through the Christmas period and the colder winter months. 

Simply bursting with healthy fats, they offer a great source of monounsaturated fats to keep you full and warm. Their high levels of vitamins C, E, and B6 help boost immunity, perfect for fighting off winter colds, while potassium also helps balance blood pressure. 

Whether you hosting a Christmas get-together for friends or just looking for some delicious everyday meals, the World Avocado Organisation has the perfect recipes that will easily become household favourites.

Avocado Traybake with Salmon and Hollandaise Sauce

Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 avocados

3 tbsp avocado oil

700 g waxy potatoes

1 courgette

1 red pointed pepper or bell pepper

200 g smoked salmon

100 g unsalted butter

1 egg yolk

2 tsp white wine vinegar

3 tbsp coarsely chopped chervil, parsley or dill

Equipment Needed

Baking sheet with baking paper

Stick mixer

Method

Preheat the oven to 200oC. Scrub the potatoes and cut into 3 mm slices. Cut the courgette into 3 mm slices and the pepper into thin rings or strips.

In a bowl, mix the potato and courgette slices with the pepper. Add the avocado oil and season with pepper to taste. Spread the potato mixture over the baking sheet.

Bake the potato, courgette and pepper in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the salmon into strips. Halve the avocados, remove the stones and peel off the skin. Cut the avocado into slices.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat as soon as the butter has melted.

In the measuring cup of the stick mixer, place the egg yolk with the white wine vinegar. Place the stick mixer at the bottom of the measuring cup. Slowly pour in the melted butter and mix until smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Spread the avocado and salmon over the baking tray. Spoon over some hollandaise sauce and sprinkle with the herbs. Serve the traybake with the rest of the sauce.

Recipe Tip

Replace the salmon with crispy bacon or slices of boiled egg.

Add the herbs to the sauce with the stick mixer for a deliciously herby sauce.

Pumpkin Lasagna with Marinated Avocados

Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 avocados

8 tbsp avocado oil

800 g pumpkin, in 1 cm cubes

3 garlic cloves

6 basil sprigs

1.4 litre tomato passata

250 g lasagna sheets

1 mozzarella ball (125 g)

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Dried chilli flakes, to taste

Equipment Needed

Baking sheet lined with baking paper

Ovenproof dish (30 x 20 cm)

Method

Preheat the oven to 220oC. Toss the pumpkin cubes with 2 tablespoons of avocado oil and spread them out over the baking sheet. Roast the pumpkin cubes in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes.

Finely chop the garlic and the leaves of 4 basil sprigs. Heat 2 tablespoons of avocado oil in a frying pan. Sauté the garlic with the finely chopped basil for 1 minute.

Add the passata and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Take the pumpkin cubes out of the oven. Lower the oven temperature to 200oC.

Spoon a layer of tomato sauce into the ovenproof dish and cover with lasagna sheets. Add the roasted pumpkin cubes to the rest of the tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

In the ovenproof dish, make more layers with the lasagna sheets and the pumpkin sauce. Finish with a layer of sauce. Tear the mozzarella into pieces and divide over the lasagna.

Bake the lasagna in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes until golden brown and done.

Halve the avocados, remove the stones and peel off the skin. Dice the avocado. Mix the avocado cubes with the lemon zest, the lemon juice and 4 tablespoons of avocado oil. Add chilli flakes to taste.

Take the lasagna out of the oven. Top with the marinated avocado and the leaves of the last 2 springs of basil.

Recipe Tip Top the lasagna with marinated avocado with some coarsely chopped and roasted hazelnuts for an extra autumnal touch.

Avocado, Chicken & Black Bean Quesadillas 

Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 avocados

1 red onion

200 g cooked chicken breast

4 sprigs of flat parsley

8 wheat tortillas

3 tbsp tomato salsa + extra for serving

125 g black beans, drained from a can

125 g grated (cheddar) cheese 

Method 

Halve the avocados, remove the pit, and peel off the skin. Slice the avocado. Cut the onion into rings and the chicken breast into pieces. Coarsely chop the parsley.

Spread 4 tortillas with the salsa. Top them with the avocado, onion, chicken, and beans.

Sprinkle with the cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with the other 4 tortillas and press.

Cook the tortillas in a dry frying pan for 3-4 minutes, until the cheese has melted.

Cut the quesadillas into wedges and serve with extra salsa for dipping.

Recipe Tip

Use strips of steak or grilled vegetables instead of the chicken breast.

To learn more about About the World Avocado Organisation visit their website at 

http://www.worldavocadoorganisation.com