Chef's Tip: Using Avocado as a Dairy Replacement ("Lovocado")

Avocado is a what nutriotionists call a "healthy fat".   But don't panic, this kind of fat is monounsaturated, which researchers say can lower cholesterol if used instead of the saturated kind. Plus avocado's polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols (PFA) are usually found only in sea veggies & are rare in land-based plants. PFAs fight all inflammation, and reduce UVB-induced damage and inflammation in skin, and even act like a sun screen, according to a study done in Israel and published in May, 2011.  Avocado also has 20 some vitamins and minerals, too, like vitamins K, Folate, B6, Riboflavin, Niacin, E, and C; plus minerals like potassium and magnesium.  Avocado may not contain the same nutrients as dairy (like calcium), but it brings many very special and healthy nutrients to your diet.

Nutrition is one of many reasons we call it "Lovocado" here at the The Tender Palate.  Avocado's culinary ability to be used as a dairy replacment is another.  Here are a bunch o' ideas.

Chef Jenny Brewer

Since I loved Chef Jenny Brewer's Not Your Mamma's Chocolate Mousse Tart so much, I asked her for other ways that you can use avocado as a texture replacement for dairy.  Here are a few tips from Chef Jenny.

1. Use some mashed avocado as a sandwich spread in place of mayonnaise
2. Fold avocado chunks into a burrito or taco filling in place of cheese
3. Blend an avocado with lemon juice and a little water for a creamy salad dressing
   
4. Blend an avocado with chocolate and/or fruit and milk of choice for a refreshing milkshake
   
5. Use blended avocado in a creamy pudding, like in this pie!

2 large ripe Haas Avocados
(if your avocados are small, add 1/4 - 1/2 avocado more)

1/2 cup raw cacao powder or cocoa powder

3-4 Tablespoons maple syrup or agave 
(or more or less to taste, depending on size of avocados)

1 TBS vanilla extract
(depending upon the size of your avocados, you may want to start with 1/2 TBS and add more to taste)

Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

(I added 1/4 to 1/2 cup of coconut milk to make it more pudding-like)

Nutrient Tip:  The most concentrated nutrients in the avocado are closest to the skin. To get them, cut the avocado lengthwise in half, remove the pit, slice the flesh while still in the skin, then scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Make sure you get the spoon as close to the skin as possible, so your 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients are in your meal, not the compost pile.

Chef Alton Brown

I wondered if you could make a frosting out of avocado, so I searched the internet for a recipe.  I wish I could say that I spoke to Chef Alton Brown personally (may some day), but I found this recipe for a dairy-free icing online through another blog called Joy the Baker.  Joy has a delicious vegan cake recipe, that could also be made gluten-free using the all-purpose, gluten-free flour from Jules Shepherd.  I asked Jules if this were true and she said:

It should work just fine with my flour, although I think I'd "up" the baking soda to 1 Tbs. Thanks for sharing - looks like a yummy recipe!  ~Jules

The icing is simple:

• 8 ounces avocado meat, approximately 2 small to medium
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (for the vegan cake, Joy actually uses 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract)

Beat the avocados and the lemon juice in the bowl of your stand mixer (use the whisk attachment) for 2-3 minutes until creamy.  Add the powerdered sugar a little at a time until smooth.  Then add whichever extract you choose and incorporate.

With a little bit of knowledge, replacements aren't so hard, right?  Here's a Tender Foodie Challenge:  try these ideas and make your own recipe.   Let me know how your experiments go, will you?  If I like it, I might just write about it.