3 Great Avocado Recipes and How To Avoid Avocado Hand

Avocado hand is a growing problem where people are accidentally slicing open their hands while trying to get the stone out of an avocado. Cutting through the thick outer skin of the fruit can be tricky, and in some cases, outright dangerous. A deep enough cut in the hand or finger can cause nerve damage, which would require extensive surgery or rehabilitation and physical therapy.
The flesh of the avocado is soft, yet people use excessive force to remove the stone, which leads to the injuries. You should never cut into an avocado in your hand. Always put it on a solid, stable surface, and use a spoon to remove the stone.
You can now buy an all-in-one knife specifically designed for cutting into avocados, here.
You can tell if an avocado is ripe by pressing gently at the tip where the stalk would have been. If it’s slightly soft, it’s ready to go. Once you’ve got your avocado ready to eat, there are dozens of delicious foods and recipes you can use it for.  Avocados contain more potassium than bananas, and are packed with protein, so it should be on your shopping list of picnic essentials this summer.
Here are some of our top recipes for avocado to enjoy on your picnic:

Veggie Nachos
Ingredients:

• 2 mixed-colour peppers
• 1 red chilli
• 3 ripe tomatoes
• 6 spring onions
• 1 bunch of fresh coriander
• 2 limes
• extra virgin olive oil
• 4 corn tortillas
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• Chipotle Tabasco sauce
• 1 x 400g tin of black beans
• 1 ripe avocado
• 20 g feta cheese
• Place the oven on to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
• Place a griddle pan over a high heat and cook the whole peppers, chilli, tomatoes and trimmed spring onions until soft and charred.

• Put the peppers and chilli in a bowl, cover with cling film and set aside for 5 minutes.
• Dice the tomatoes and spring onions, then add to another bowl. Peel, deseed and dice the peppers and chillies, then add to the tomatoes and spring onions.
• Pick in a few coriander leaves, season, then mix in a good squeeze of lime juice and a drizzle of oil. Wipe the griddle pan and return to the heat.
• Cut the tortillas into wedges and arrange over two baking sheets. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, or until golden.
• Place a large frying pan over a high heat and toast the cumin seeds for a few seconds. Add the Tabasco sauce and beans and cook for a few minutes, or until thick, stirring occasionally.
• Peel, destone and slice the avocado into wedges, then drizzle with the remaining lime juice.
• Arrange the tortillas in a bowl. Top with the beans, salsa, dressed avocado, feta and pick over the remaining coriander, then serve.

Chicken Fajita
Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chipotle Tabasco sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 large red onion
• 2 x 200 g skinless free-range chicken breasts
• 3 mixed-colour peppers
• 1 large aubergine
• 2 limes
• 1 bunch of fresh coriander (30g)
• 1 ripe avocado
• 4 large seeded wholemeal tortillas
• 50 g feta cheese

 
Put 1 tablespoon of oil into a bowl with the vinegar, chilli sauce, oregano, paprika and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Crush in the unpeeled garlic through a garlic crusher and mix together. Peel and halve the onion, slice into 1cm-thick wedges, then slice the chicken lengthways 1cm thick and toss both in the marinade. Leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight.

Blacken the whole peppers and aubergine over a direct flame on the hob, or in a griddle pan on a high heat, until charred and blistered all over. Pop the peppers into a bowl and cover with cling film for 10 minutes, then scrape off most of the black skin, discarding the stalks and seeds. Pinch the skin off the aubergine and trim off the ends. Nicely slice it all 2cm thick, dress on a platter with the juice of 1 lime and a few picked coriander leaves, then taste and season to perfection.

Cook the chicken and onions in all that lovely marinade in a large non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, or until cooked through, turning halfway. Peel, destone and finely slice the avocado, and squeeze over the juice of half a lime. Warm the tortillas in a dry frying pan for 30 seconds, then keep warm in a clean tea towel. Take it all to the table, with the feta and the remaining coriander leaves, and let everyone build their own.
 
Sushi Salad
Ingredients:

• 80 g sushi rice
• ½ a small head of broccoli
• 1 large handful of kale
• 1 ripe avocado
• low-salt soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon wasabi paste
• 2 limes
• 1 tablespoon runny honey
• 1 cm piece of ginger
• 120 g hot-smoked salmon, from sustainable sources
• 50 g pea shoots or 20 g cress

 

1. Cook the rice according to the packet instructions.
2. Cut the broccoli into florets, then steam with the kale in a steamer sitting on top of the rice until just tender. Refresh under cold running water.
3. Transfer the rice and greens to your lunchbox.
4. Halve and destone the avocado, then use a fork to mash the flesh in its skin. Add a little splash of soy sauce, the wasabi paste and the juice from 1 lime.
5. Keep your spiked avocado in its skin and use it as a container. Cover with clingfilm (if you're feeding a friend at work, just push the halves together), and pop it in your lunchbox.
6. For a dressing, pour 1 tablespoon of soy sauce into a jam jar, add the juice of the remaining lime and the honey. Peel and grate in the ginger.
7. Flake the salmon over the rice and greens and sprinkle the pea shoots or cress on top.
8. Keep your lunchbox, dressing and avocado refrigerated until ready to eat, then shake the dressing and pour over the rice and salmon, mix to coat, and enjoy, with the avocado on the side.

All recipes taken from Jamieoliver.com