Avocado Chickpea Salad

Avocado + chickpeas + lemon = heaven. Fresh, lemony salad packed with crispy garbanzo beans and creamy avocado. It's super simple and easy to make but it's so unbelievably delicious. Another great thing about it? It's healthy as well. Whoa. Now you have no excuse to not make this. Just before serving, season with some freshly cracked black pepper and enjoy this guilt-free vegetarian meal. Yum!

Avocado Chickpea Salad

1 can (240g drained) chickpeas
1 avocado, mashed
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (optional)
1/8 cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt & pepper

1) In a food processor, blend together avocado, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. Add salt. Taste and adjust the amount of salt according to your preference. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the drained chickpeas.

You may garnish it with some chopped fresh parsley.

Voila!

Recipe by collecting memories

Avocado Egg Salad (Mayo-free)

I was thinking what to write in this post and couldn't think of anything smart. I guess I'm not very productive after the exams session. But I'm already writing something, so it's not that bad, right?? Actually, I'll better say something about avocado. I love avocado. I especially fell in love with it after making Avocado Brownies last week. Well, let's discuss this avocado egg salad now. It's amazing. Why? Because there's no mayo in it, which means, it's skinny and healthy, and still tastes wonderful! I believe this would be perfect wrapped in tortilla or simply used as spread on a slice of bread. Or who said you can't eat it straight from the bowl?

Avocado Egg Salad (Mayo-free)

1 large ripe avocado (300g)
2 large eggs, hard boiled
1-2 cloves garlic
~20g Greek yogurt (1-2 tbsp)
salt & black pepper

1) Cut avocado into small/medium cubes and mash some of it. Cut egg into small cubes and mix with avocado. Mince garlic and mix together with avocado/egg.

2) Add Greek Yogurt and mix with a spoon, mashing avocado and egg a little bit. Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Recipe by collecting memories

Fudgy Cocoa Avocado Brownies (Butter, Egg & Flour-Free)

I've been trying to healthify some of the foods I make quite often recently. And sometimes I still can't believe that healthy food can taste so good. There's no surprise that the web is full of recipes with strange ingredients, for example, brownies with black beans or applesauce. No way, how can you make brownies without butter? And, how can you put avocado in it? It should taste horrible. But, you know, I think it's unbelievable how healthy ingredients can be incorporated in our favourite fatty desserts without any unwanted taste. Science! And then, one day, I decided to make avocado brownies. While they were in the oven, I was very sceptical. But I was so curious to try them that I didn't even let them cool down. When I tasted them, my mind was blown out. They were the fudgiest and the most amazing brownies in the world! With no eggs, no flour, no refined sugar, no butter!! The next day I made them again and I will be making them again and again! The most surprising thing was that they came out perfectly on the first attempt. There's nothing to be added. And believe me, you can't taste any avocado. You better stop reading and mix up a batch of these.

Fudgy Cocoa Avocado Brownies (Butter, Egg & Flour-Free)

2 avocados, ripe

200g light brown sugar

2 tsp coconut oil, melted
50g unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp vanilla sugar (or vanilla extract)

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp instant coffee granules

50g ground oats

1) Preheat oven to 180C. Prepare a 8x8 inch/20x20cm sicilone baking dish (or if using a metal one, line with parchment paper). Set aside.

2) In a large bowl, mix together mashed avocados, brown sugar, and melted coconut oil. Add cocoa powder, instant cofee, salt, vanilla sugar and mix to combine. Add ground oats and mix just until combined. 

3) Bake for 20 minutes. Cool at least one hour before slicing. ENJOY!

Recipe by collecting memories

Chocolate Banana Avocado Pudding

I was so curious to try making raw pudding made with avocado! The internet is full of amazing pictures of this healthy alternative to the ordinary chocolate pudding. What can I say - this was really delicious. The texture was creamy and you almost can't taste the avocado. I just added a pinch of salt to enrich the flavour a little. I added 100g of honey but if you prefer it less sweet of if your banana is really ripe, first try adding less. There's nothing that could make you feel bad after eating this. Come on, what could be better than a healthy chocolate pudding?! I feel like I'm falling in love with raw food. 

Chocolate Banana Avocado Pudding

1 ripe avocado
1 ripe banana
10g dark unsweetened cocoa powder
70-100g honey
pinch salt

1) Place all the ingredients into your food processor and process until smooth. Voila!

Recipe by collecting memories

Baked Potato Chips with Avocado Garlic Dip

These homemade potato chips are a healthier version of your favourite chips because they're oven baked, not fried. It took time for me to cut them into thin slices because I don't have any magical cutter but it was worth that. Served with avocado dip they are a great appetizer. Really, this avocado dip made all the difference. Isn't it amazing that a dip can be healthy without any mayonnaise or other components and still be so creamy and delicious? Since I tried avocado with pasta, I realized that it can be used in so many ways like sauces and dressings and substitute that unhealthy stuff we are used to eating. Can't wait to try other recipes with avocado!

Avocado Dip
1 medium ripe avocado
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp lemon or lime juice
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp dried or fresh basil
1/4 tsp ground cumin
pinch salt and pepper

Combine all the ingredients and process in your food processor until smooth. Or use a mixer and blend everything.

4 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
1 tsp sweet paprika
2 tbsp olive oil
pinch salt

1) Preheat oven to 190C. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
2) Mix oil, paprika flakes and salt in a bowl. Add potatoes and toss to cover both sides. Place the potato slices on parchment paper and bake until dark golden brown and crispy. Serve with avocado dip.

Creamy Avocado Pasta

It's a quick, simple and delicious dish. Perfect for the days when you don't have time for preparing stews or casseroles. I really enjoyed this but I regret I didn't have any fresh basil. I believe this is an essential ingredient for this pasta and dried basil can't replace the fresh one.

Yield: Serves 1

1 medium sized ripe Avocado, pitted
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste 
1/4 cup Fresh Basil, (I used 2 tsp dried basil because I didn't have any fresh)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 serving your favourite pasta

1. Cook your pasta according to the directions.

2. Meanwhile, make the sauce: place the garlic cloves, lemon juice, and olive oil into a food processor. Process until smooth. Now add in the pitted avocado, basil, and salt. Process until smooth and creamy.

3. When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse in a strainer and place pasta into a large bowl. Pour on sauce and toss until fully combined. Serve immediately.