"Brain Food": Simple Avocado Spread
On our very first taco night with my blended family, I was determined to share my love for avocados with my new Small Fries. Every time I devour one of these mellow green buttery delights, I am reminded of a Food Network episode featuring Nigella Lawson, with her velvety English accent, saying that avocados give us a "lovely, glossy coat!”- and I couldn’t agree more.
I tell myself (as I devour a bowl of guacamole), that my intentions are entirely altruistic. Eating all those monounsaturated & polyunsaturated fatty acids is really for my optimal heart health and longevity; truth be told, I secretly imagine Nigella and myself diving in together with our wind blown glossy manes and glowing skin, cheers-ing our dip-fulls to the all-mighty avocado!
Ole!
As much as my imagination can run away with me, the benefits of avocados for our Small Fries' developing bodies are indisputable. In the spirit of Nigella herself, I tend to take a bit of creative licensing with my approach to introducing avocados to kids.
The first day I brought home avocados, I told my Small Fries, "I brought home something from the store that will actually make your brain grow bigger!”.
“What?!?!” they all wanted to know what it was.
When I showed them the avocado, I said, “Yep, see this GIANT seed in the middle?” while slicing it in halves to show its delicious fruit. “The reason the seed on the avocado is soooo big, is because it’s the brain of the fruit, and since this one has such a large seed, the fruit around it can actually make your brain grow bigger!”
That was the hook to get them cramming around my kitchen counter to make and taste my avocado “brain food” spread in their very first taco night.
My “brain food” spread is a simple mixture of pureed avocado mixed with a bit of mayonnaise, sea salt, and a squeeze of lime, and takes under three minutes to blend up in a small food processor. In the beginning, each child would choose their tortilla, and I would spread a thin layer of “brain food” on the bottom of their tortilla, and each child would build up their tacos from there.
Most taco nights nowadays we have moved on to real guacamole (sometimes a classic version, and sometimes a dressed-up version to be yummy and unique). No matter the delivery, my kids go nuts for all things avocado, and my husband and I get a kick out of listening to them banter about whose brain is the biggest!