Our best healthy avocado recipes

Source: Web exclusive, besthealthmag.ca

Avocado Salads:

Avocado and Shrimp Salad

Zesty lime juice dresses creamy avocados, shrimp and sweet tropical fruit. Fresh and fragrant, this salad is great served as a side with poultry or fish.

Avocado, Edamame and Radish Salad

Crisp, clean and versatile, this salad makes a great lunch or perfect on the side of grilled meat or fish. Hearty avocado chunks lend a creamy texture and smooth, savoury flavour.

Avocado Carpaccio with Wild Blueberry Cottage Cheese Mix

This fresh avocado salad, topped with antioxidant-rich wild blueberries, makes a great afternoon snack or side dish.

Avocado and Crab Salad

This is a salad that is ideal for a special summer occasion. Crabmeat is a good source of low-fat protein and goes beautifully with juicy papaya and creamy avocado. Serve with light rye bread.

Healthy Avocado Appetizers:

Guacamole

The word guacamole comes from the Nahuatl words for "avocado" (ahuacatl) and "mixture," or "concoction" (molli)’and what a beautiful "concoction" guacamole is, pale green sparked with the cilantro’s darker green and the red of the tomato.

Guacamole, Egg & Arugula on Crackers

The simple combination of ingredients and diverse textures in this lunch offer a twist to the traditional sandwich.

Fresh Crab and Avocado Dip with Crispy Tortilla Chips

Crab and avocado is an age-old combination that has a bit of magic to it, which is why you see it in so many cuisines, from Asian to Italian.

Chilled Melon Soup with Shrimp and Avocado

Fresh fruit soups can be prepared ahead and are light and cooling on a hot summer’s day. Serve with grissini (Italian bread sticks) for a light lunch.

Healthy Avocado Entrées:

Avocado and Chicken Club Sandwich

This avocado and chicken club sandwich packs in lots of interesting flavours and textures. Crispy prosciutto replaces the usual bacon, and mashed avocado the butter. Adding a few leaves to a sandwich is a cunning way to get children to eat their greens.

Broiled Salmon with Avocado-Mango Salsa

If you like, make a small amount of lemon vinaigrette and toss with the lettuce before placing the broiled salmon with avocado-mango salsa on top.

Avocado and Shrimp Cups

Here, lettuce-lined bowls are filled with shrimp and avocado, mixed with spiced new potatoes and topped with yogurt for a real hot and cold taste explosion. Serve avocado and shrimp cups for lunch with whole-wheat or multi-grain bread.

Chicken, Avocado and Alfalfa Club Sandwich

This toasted, triple-decker sandwich is packed with creamy, mashed avocado, rich in healthy unsaturated fats. Lean chicken, juicy tomatoes and pretty alfalfa sprouts make up the rest of the tasty filling for this nourishing and satisfying bite.

Beef Burger with Avocado Salsa

Topping this burger with avocado adds creaminess, and since it’s packed with monounsaturated fat, it can help lower cholesterol, reduce risk of heart disease and keep blood glucose in check.