Uses for an avocado

Avocado is particularly delicious in the Yucatan. The flavor is sweeter, fuller, greener and more buttery than the avocados I buy here on the east coast. It’s so easy to find the perfect ripeness for the day or next couple of days to enjoy. You may also see the larger, rounder avocado. It’s flesh is more yellow, and not as rich tasting.
Score the skin and cut through the flesh down to the pit, moving vertically. When you’ve cut all the way around, twist the two halves in opposite directions to pull them apart. Remove the large pit by tapping it lightly with your knife blade and twisting the avocado off the pit. Carefully push the pit off the knife blade. Score the flesh of each half horizontally in half inch slices and free the slices by running a spoon inside the skin.
Now you have perfect slices of avocado for many uses!
Use on top of salads, fold them into quesadillas, mash it into guacamole, serve with scrambled eggs for breakfast, drizzle with a little olive oil and sea salt, or just a squeeze of lime! Make a sandwich with sliced tomatoes, cube and fold into chicken salad, or eat it plain, avocadoes are full of vitamins, protein and healthy fat so enjoy this healthy treat. Don’t forget to save the skin and rub the remainder all over your face and body! It’s a soothing mask full of nutrients and moisturizers that are so good for your skin. Not too attractive when you have it on, however, so plan that for when you’re alone!

More on food...................

Some questions from a guest about chiles rellenos had me longing for this dish and marveling at it’s versatility. Chiles rellenos translates to “stuffed chile” and is a staple on many restaurant menus in the Riviera Maya that feature traditional dishes. Typically this is a roasted fresh pepper with a stuffing of cheese and a coating. There are so many variations to enjoy, and I try them all. I love the chile relleno at the small lunch counter in Akumal. It is a fresh poblano pepper, stuffed with cheese and wrapped in a thin egg omelet, then covered with tomato sauce. The pepper shows just a small amount of heat, the cheese is firm rather than gooey and the tomato sauce smooth and on the sweet side. This is a great breakfast (or lunch or dinner!) dish and is served with black beans and tortillas. Other chiles rellenos I have experience in the area include stuffings of meat and raisins, seafood, or mashed potatoes. The coatings may be an egg batter, bread crumb or nothing. They may be baked or fried, and the peppers can vary widely to include dried chiles or small hot peppers. The sauces also differ, ranging from a simple tomato sauce as described above, to creamy cheese sauces or brown meat based sauces.
The chile relleno represents comfort food of the region to me because it seems each
cook has their own recipe which I imagine comes from the home. It is a more labor intensive dish, but because it is frequently meatless the price is usually low. Try this dish when you travel to the area. It is healthy and delicious!