Thinking Outside the Guac

Make the most of the avocado with these sweet and savory recipes

Adding avocado to scrambled eggs is a dish that anyone can make, and can be easily spruced up with corn chips and salsa for a Super Bowl celebration. (Shaiith/Shutterstock)

There’s much to adore about the avocado. It’s creamy as mayonnaise, has a mild nutty flavor, and is full of nutrients, all of which help to explain why avocado consumption in the United States has increased fivefold in the past 25 years. This acceleration is all the more amazing given that Americans only use them for guacamole and avocado toast. Today, I’ll give you some fresh ideas on how to prepare avocados—for the Super Bowl, for Valentine’s Day, and for breakfast.

Avocados are technically berries, aka fruit. As such, avocados are the fattiest, most protein-rich fruit on the planet. The Aztecs— who were the first people to eat avocados—named them ahuacatl, which means testicles, as they hang in pairs from the tree. More recently, it has been nicknamed the alligator pear, based on its shape and the color and texture of its skin. On human skin, avocados are prized for the moisturizing glow they impart. As a food, avocados are full of vitamins and high in fiber, potassium, and folate. They’re anti-inflammatory and lower the risk of heart disease.

Americans go through about 100 million pounds of avocados during Superbowl Sunday, which makes February the time of peak demand. But last year at this time, avocados were in short supply, thanks to some happenings in Mexico, the world’s largest producer. The Mexican harvest was uncharacteristically light. And to make matters worse, Mexican imports were banned by the United States after a USDA inspector received a threatening phone call from a Mexican cartel member. The avocado ban lasted almost a week, during which avocado prices rose to a 24-year high.

Thirty percent of the world’s avocados are grown in the Mexican state of Michoacán, thanks to rich volcanic soils and a perfect Mediterranean climate. Michoacán is also a center for narcotrafficking and was heavily impacted by the war on drugs, which forced many cartels to explore new income streams. Avocados became known as “green gold” and became a focus of cartel activities. The criminal gangs got involved in all levels of the avocado industry, including cultivation, marketing, and transport. These activities include threatening, taxing, extorting, and killing farmers and sometimes taking their land.

Avocados have become increasingly popular in the United States due to their health benefits, mild nutty flavor, and creamy texture. (Olga Zarytska/Shutterstock)

In addition to benefiting organized crime, there’s an environmental cost to avocados as well. A single avocado requires 37 gallons of water. And the avocado boom has led to deforestation, including a third of Michoacán’s oak and pine forests—which is where the monarch butterfly, an endangered species, spends the winter.

The fact that one of our favorite foods can have negative environmental and social consequences is a dilemma. But it doesn’t mean that we should quit avocados altogether. Many avocado growers are small farmers who depend on the fruit for income. And those that are being harassed by narcos aren’t helped by consumers refusing to buy their avocados. A growing number of certifications, such as Fairtrade, allow consumers to use their dollars to leverage the cultivation of avocados in ways that are socially beneficial and environmentally friendly. So far, Fairtrade avocados only amount to about 3 million pounds annually, but the number of participating farmers and organizations is growing.

So now that we’ve considered the many angles on avocados, here are some ways to prepare them that you may not have tried: with eggs and with chocolate.

Avocado Scrambled Eggs

The idea of heating avocados may seem strange, but once you’ve tried scrambled eggs with avocado, you won’t look back. If you know how to make scrambled eggs and can open an avocado, then you can make avocado scrambled eggs.

Serves 2

• 1 avocado
• 2 eggs
• Pinch of salt
• Corn chips and salsa, optional

Cut the avocado in half and scoop out the flesh. Use a spoon or knife to cut the avocado into small pieces, and set it aside.

Next, beat and salt the eggs, and scramble them in oil or butter on medium heat. As soon as the eggs start to set up, add the avocado pieces and scramble them home.

To make the dish more Super Bowl-friendly, serve it with corn chips and salsa. After all, salsa is a perennial favorite condiment on scrambled eggs. And mixing salsa with avocado is a quick and easy way to make guacamole.

Avocado makes a smooth, creamy base for a rich chocolate mousse.(Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock)

Chocolate Avocado Mousse

With no offense intended to the taste of an avocado, a selling point of this mousse is that it doesn’t taste like avocado. It’s as thick as truffle ganache and tastes like pure chocolate. Valentine’s Day lands two days after the Super Bowl this year. So if you’re looking to hit both holidays, stock up on some alligator pears. If the pudding is too rich for your taste, add more milk and serve it as a milkshake.

Serves 2

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or sugar

Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. Scoop out of the blender, making sure to lick all utensils, and serve.