Avocado

I’m a big big fan of Avocado. It’s a great addition to anything from salad and pasta to burritos or sushi. Avocados are also known as alligator pears because of the texture on the outside and the shape similar to pears. It’s pretty well known that avocados are full of nutrition. Well, according to Wikipedia,

·         About 75% of an avocado’s calories come from fat, most of which is momounsaturated fat.

·         Avocados have 60% more potassium than bananas.

·         Avocados are rich in Vitamin Bs, as well as Vitamin Es and Vitamin Ks.

·         Avocados have high fiber content among fruits

Avocado is good for the heart because eating avocado regularly can lower the blood cholesterol level. It’s also a popular diet food. Avocado has a smooth and creamy texture and drinking a glass of avocado juice makes you feel full and you’ll eat less of other unhealthy food. You do need to watch out and limit yourself to no more than one avocado (fresh or juiced), however, because too much of anything can’t be good.

Avocado makes a good company to all kinds of food, from savory to sweet. Avocados can add sweet, creamy taste to burgers, hotdogs, sushi, or even pizza. You can also add avocado juice, avocado puree or avocado slices to sweets like milkshake, ice cream or pudding.

I’d like to share my favorite avocado milkshake recipe. It’s easy to make, healthy and delicious.

Take one avocado, cut it in half and remove the pit. Spoon the inside into a blender, add a cup of milk and half cup of plain yogurt (You can add cream instead if you want it to be sweeter). Blend together and add chocolate syrup. Serve cold.  

Watermelon Cooler Recipe

Hot summer days are upon us and thirst-quenching drinks are called for. Why not enjoy a refreshing serving of watermelon cooler?

Ingredients:

4 cups of sliced seedless watermelon

1 cup of lemon sorbet

1 lemon, zested

1 1/2 cups of water

Directions:

Blend the sliced watermelon, lemon sorbet and zested lemon in a food processor until it is very smooth. Next, stir it with water and refrigerate until it is cold. And that’s it! Serve it with ice and add watermelon wedges or even mint as garnish, if you wish.

In case you don’t have lemon sorbet at hand, don’t panic. You can easily substitute it by making a mixture of: 6 lemons, 2 tablespoons of sugar and enough water for it to reach a cup.

Take care of the temperature, since it could change the flavor. For a tangy flavor, add grape or lime juice. Enjoy an easy-to-make summer drink!

ICE TEA WITH PEACH

Pour one teapot of tea – preferably bergamot – in a saucepan.

On the top of that, add two bashed peaches  juice, a glass of lemon water, a few slices of thin shredded peach and some water depending on how strong you want it.

Add sugar to the mixture as you wish. I mostly use regular, you can try using cane sugar or honey for a more beneficial drink.

At last, put your prepared drink in glass decanters and jars and in the fridge.

When you are serving them, if you add mint leaves on the glasses you would also be making a great presentation, ENJOY it.

Durian, the Mighty King of Fruit

What is the smelliest fruit on earth?

The Asians know the answer. Durian. Called as the mighty King of Fruits because of its big size and it is armed with sharp thorns, durian is also known for its smell.

The durian has distinctive odour, strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact. Some would say that the fruit has a great tempting fragrance and some say it’s too offensive and disgusting. People even describe it variously as almonds, rotten onions, turpentine and gym socks. That is why some hotels and public transportation do not allow people to bring this fruit to their territory.

Durian originated from Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. It became known to the western world about 600 years ago. Quoted from a British traveler in 1599, he said that durian has an excellent taste that it surpasses in flavor all the other fruits of the world. The flesh can be consumed at various stages of ripeness, and it is used to flavor a wide variety of savory and sweet edibles in Southeast Asian cuisines. The seeds can also be eaten when cooked.

The name durian comes from the Malay word duri (which means ‘thorn’) together with the suffix -an (for building a noun in Malay). The centre of ecological diversity for durians is the island of Borneo, Indonesia. However, today’s durians are commonly imported by Thailand, like mon thong, cha ni, and kan yao. In South East Asia, durian dishes are well-known for their deliciousness. Some are described below.

• In Malaysia, durian fruit is used to flavor sweet edibles such as candy, cakes, mousse, chips, ice cream and milkshakes. 
• Durian ice cream is a popular dessert in Indonesia, sold at street side stalls in Indonesian cities, especially in Java.
• Pulut durian, rice steamed with coconut milk and served with ripe durian (I think this is also available in Thailand). 
• Tempoyak is a dish from Sumatra (Indonesia) composed of fermented durian, coconut milk and an ultra-spicy sauce. Often eaten with rice.
• Sometimes the seeds are roasted, boiled or fried and have a consistency that's reminiscent of yams. In Java, seeds are thinly sliced and cooked with sugar to eat as candy.
• In parts of Indonesia, the young leaves of durian are sometimes cooked as vegetables and the petals of durian flowers are also eaten.