Avocado Low Carb Champion w Recipes
Apr 28, 2006 11:09:10 GMT -8
Post by barbogold on Apr 28, 2006 11:09:10 GMT -8
The true, undying low carb potassium champion is the avocado. All
avocados are great, but if you can, buy the little, rough-skinned
California avocados; they're a tad lower carb than the big,
smooth-skinned Florida variety. One California avocado contains 15 grams
of carbohydrate, but 12 grams of that is fiber, for a usable carb count
of just 3 grams! And for those three grams, you'll get a whopping 877
milligrams of potassium. Avocados are also a great source of
monounsaturated fats, the same heart-healthy fats found in olive oil - a
real nutritional bargain, all the way around.
So eat avocados, early and often! You can put chunks of avocado in your
tossed salad, of course, but try a simpler approach: sliced avocado on a
bed of lettuce, sprinkled with lime juice, salt and pepper, or a simple
vinaigrette dressing.
Guacamole is a favorite, and it's hard to beat, but without chips, how
are you going to eat it? Try spreading it over a grilled steak; it's to
die for. Guacamole is also a terrific omelet filling, especially with
some Monterey Jack cheese melted with it. My favorite thing to do with
guacomole, though, is to stuff it into tomatoes, and serve them as a
salad. A medium tomato will add about 4 grams of usable carb, and
another 273 milligrams of potassium.
Consider the half-avocado. Once you've removed the seed, you've got a
nice big hollow, just perfect for putting things in. Consider stuffing
avocados with tuna salad, chicken salad, cold shrimp, or anything else
you can think of! Here's a recipe for crab salad in avocados:
Thai-Style Crab Salad in Avocados
1 ripe California avocado
3 tablespoons lime juice
6-ounce can crabmeat, or 6 ounces cooked lump crab meat
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
Salt, if desired.
Split the avocado in half, remove the seed, and sprinkle the cut
surfaces with 1 tablespoon of the lime juice to prevent browning.
Combine the crabmeat, remaining lime juice, lemon juice, mayonnaise,
cilantro, scallion, pepper, and salt in a mixing bowl, and mix well.
Stuff into the avocado halves, piling it high. Garnish with extra
cilantro, if desired, and serve.
2 servings, each with 9 grams of carbohydrate and 5 grams of fiber, for
a total of 4 grams of usable carb and 20 grams of protein. Plus 932
milligrams of potassium!
(Reprinted from 15 Minute Low Carb Recipes (http://tinyurl.com/dus8o),
by Dana Carpender, with permission of Fair Winds Press.)
(Unpaid plug: For those few of you who, like me, live in or around
Bloomington, Indiana, Sahara Mart has recently slashed its prices on
organic produce - including avocados, which have recently been running a
mere 79c apiece. I've also been getting organic cauliflower for $1.99 a
head. These are easily the best prices I've seen for organic produce.
Sahara Mart is also a great place to get good wine at great prices, not
to mention sugar free chocolate covered coffee beans, and all sorts of
other stuff. In short, worth the trip. At the corner of Walnut and 2nd.
Tell 'em Dana sent you!)
************************************************************
avocados are great, but if you can, buy the little, rough-skinned
California avocados; they're a tad lower carb than the big,
smooth-skinned Florida variety. One California avocado contains 15 grams
of carbohydrate, but 12 grams of that is fiber, for a usable carb count
of just 3 grams! And for those three grams, you'll get a whopping 877
milligrams of potassium. Avocados are also a great source of
monounsaturated fats, the same heart-healthy fats found in olive oil - a
real nutritional bargain, all the way around.
So eat avocados, early and often! You can put chunks of avocado in your
tossed salad, of course, but try a simpler approach: sliced avocado on a
bed of lettuce, sprinkled with lime juice, salt and pepper, or a simple
vinaigrette dressing.
Guacamole is a favorite, and it's hard to beat, but without chips, how
are you going to eat it? Try spreading it over a grilled steak; it's to
die for. Guacamole is also a terrific omelet filling, especially with
some Monterey Jack cheese melted with it. My favorite thing to do with
guacomole, though, is to stuff it into tomatoes, and serve them as a
salad. A medium tomato will add about 4 grams of usable carb, and
another 273 milligrams of potassium.
Consider the half-avocado. Once you've removed the seed, you've got a
nice big hollow, just perfect for putting things in. Consider stuffing
avocados with tuna salad, chicken salad, cold shrimp, or anything else
you can think of! Here's a recipe for crab salad in avocados:
Thai-Style Crab Salad in Avocados
1 ripe California avocado
3 tablespoons lime juice
6-ounce can crabmeat, or 6 ounces cooked lump crab meat
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
Salt, if desired.
Split the avocado in half, remove the seed, and sprinkle the cut
surfaces with 1 tablespoon of the lime juice to prevent browning.
Combine the crabmeat, remaining lime juice, lemon juice, mayonnaise,
cilantro, scallion, pepper, and salt in a mixing bowl, and mix well.
Stuff into the avocado halves, piling it high. Garnish with extra
cilantro, if desired, and serve.
2 servings, each with 9 grams of carbohydrate and 5 grams of fiber, for
a total of 4 grams of usable carb and 20 grams of protein. Plus 932
milligrams of potassium!
(Reprinted from 15 Minute Low Carb Recipes (http://tinyurl.com/dus8o),
by Dana Carpender, with permission of Fair Winds Press.)
(Unpaid plug: For those few of you who, like me, live in or around
Bloomington, Indiana, Sahara Mart has recently slashed its prices on
organic produce - including avocados, which have recently been running a
mere 79c apiece. I've also been getting organic cauliflower for $1.99 a
head. These are easily the best prices I've seen for organic produce.
Sahara Mart is also a great place to get good wine at great prices, not
to mention sugar free chocolate covered coffee beans, and all sorts of
other stuff. In short, worth the trip. At the corner of Walnut and 2nd.
Tell 'em Dana sent you!)
************************************************************