Credit: Avocados from Mexico/Rue La La
Happy Earth Day! We’re always thinking of ways to have a positive impact on the environment or incorporate healthy habits into our routines, whether we’re sipping our iced coffee through reusable straws, making the switch to glass food containers, or learning more about where our food comes from. Plus, a healthier planet means more health and wellness benefits for us to reap.
This year, we’ve partnered with Avocados From Mexico to bring you eco-friendly – and tasty – uses for avocados, along with their pits and skins. But before we get to germinating seedlings for your garden, let’s talk facts. In addition to their myriad of other uses, avocados are a delicious and heart-smart way to add a nutritional boost to any meal.
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They’re nutrient-dense, containing nearly 20 vitamins and minerals, and are a good source of dietary fiber and folate. One third of an avocado has 80 calories and 6 grams of unsaturated fat.
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Certified by the American Heart Association, avocados are also a source of good fats and nutrients and can be used as a substitute for foods that are higher in saturated fat.
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Eating avocados in place of foods containing saturated fat can help reduce the amount of saturated fat in the diet. Avocados are healthy and cholesterol- and sodium-free. Plus, the majority of the fruit’s fat content is monounsaturated.
PS: If you’re craving even more avo info, sign up for the Rue Now newsletter to get the download on additional recipes and healthy hacks from our friends at Avocados From Mexico!
Alright – let’s get sustainable.
Kick Off Earth Day with a Healthy Salad
Did you know that avocados are fruit? Well, now you do, and they’re definitely not just for savory dishes like avocado toast or guac. Celebrate what our beautiful planet has to offer with a healthy salad to start the day.
Credit: Avocados from Mexico
FRUIT SALAD
2 Avocados From Mexico, diced
1/2 cup strawberries, quartered
1/2 cup blueberries
1 cup red grapes
2 kiwi, sliced and quartered
2 mandarin oranges, segmented
1 mango, diced
1 large banana, sliced and quartered
AVOCADO COCONUT-LIME DRESSING
5.3 oz nonfat coconut Greek yogurt
3 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp honey
Instructions:
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For the salad base, place all ingredients into a large bowl. When ready to serve, toss Avocado coconut-lime dressing to taste.
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Place all salad-dressing components into a food processor and blend to a smooth consistency. If dressing is too thick, add 1 – 2 tablespoons of nonfat milk (or non-dairy milk) to liquefy dressing. Refrigerate until needed, up to 24 hours. Use the remaining dressing for another use.
Add the Grated Pit to Your Meals or Snacks
If you’re a fan of slightly bitter flavors – looking at you, grapefruit people – try cutting the avocado pit in half and grating it into any number of dips and sauces made with heart-healthy avocados, or use the grated pit in a salad dressing.
Plant Seedlings in the Empty Skins
Want to get an herb garden going or start some vegetable seedlings for replanting outdoors? Avocado skins, once lined with your potting or composting soil, are transformed into perfect windowsill-sized pots that you can place directly into the ground when the seedlings are ready to be transplanted.
Dye Fabric Naturally
Avocado skins and pits produce a beautiful dusty-pink natural dye that can be used to color clothing, scarves, yarn, and more.
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Save the skins and pits from your avocados – the more you have, the deeper the color will be – and bring them to a simmer with water, stirring from time to time for about half an hour to an hour while the skins break down.
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You can now strain out the skins and pits, or let the entire mixture steep for a few hours to deepen the color.
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Once the dye is to your liking, add your fabric to a pot with the dye and enough water so the fabric can float freely. Heat the pot to a simmer for at least an hour, watching it closely so that it doesn’t boil.
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Turn off the heat and allow the fabric to sit in a cooled dye bath overnight.
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Take the fabric out of the bath and wring as much liquid out as possible before leaving it to drip-dry.
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As with your avocado tree, patience is a virtue, and it’s best to let the fabric sit for at least a week before washing to let the dye stay colorfast.
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After a week, rinse the fabric and wash on a short cycle, or by hand, before allowing it to air-dry.
When in Doubt, Compost
Your first inclination may be to throw your pits and skins into compost, but they actually take a while to break down. To speed up the process, grate the pit and cut the skin into small squares with kitchen scissors before adding them to your composter.
Check out these tips (and more!) at avocadosfrommexico.com.
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