The Living Wellness team is excited to share a guest blog post from Arianne Lind and Peter Yovetich of SimplyyElevated.
Hello again! Last week, Peter and I (Arianne) took over the Living Wellness blog and shared our favorite recipe, AvoGuaco. We wanted to share some of our favorite ways to use this recipe as a side dish or a main dish.
Health Benefits of AvoGuaco Ingredients
Before we move into the various different ways you can use this wonderful mix, let’s talk about some of the health benefits that come from the ingredients in this living food mixture!
We’ll start with the most important ingredient in this recipe… Avocados! The health benefits from an avocado alone could arguably deem this the healthiest food of all time in my opinion. To name a few of the benefits that this nutrient-dense, superfood has inside of its shell: aids in digestion, skin, dental and hair care; it's anti-inflammatory; health fats help you stay full and many more (source). My favorite part of eating avocados is the satiety factor. You might be wondering what satiety is? To be satiated means that your body is satisfied with the nutrients it has received helping you feel full or not hungry.
Now let's check out what onions can do for us! They’re so beautiful and nutrient rich that they make us cry! LOL – the tears are well worth it. Onions are not only high in antioxidants and bitamin C, but they actually contain dietary fiber as well. Onions also contain other minerals and nutrients like iron, calcium, and even protein (source).
As the saying goes… when life gives you lemons, make lemon juice! Wait, that’s not the traditional phrase is it? Let’s face the truth though, lemonade is typically sugary water. I’d much rather make some fresh pressed lemon juice that I can use for endless recipes as I work in the kitchen. Are you starting to get curious about what health benefits lemons have? Me too! Here they are: lemons can give our energy levels a boost, help break down our foods to improve digestion, and contain high levels of vitamins and minerals (source). Just to name a few. The benefits to lemon that stand out the most to me are the natural flavor additive that they can be. Also, if I ever get unshakeable hiccups, I’ve found that biting into a lemon seems to be a great natural remedy. Drinking lemon water on a hot summer day is incredibly refreshing.
Enough about lemons though, what about this cilantro stuff we’ve added into our delicious AvoGuaco? Cilantro is not only delicious, but it’s also nutritious and extremely accessible. I highly recommend keeping this herb as a regular on your shopping list or in a herb garden! I’m always sad when we run out, but I won’t have to worry about that when I get my organic garden started :) Cilantro contains important minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium as well as vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K. It has health properties ranging from reducing stress, to brain health and even detoxifying the body (source).
If you haven’t picked up on this yet… these foods all have powerfully packed nutrients to heal our bodies and take preventative measures against illnesses. Putting them all together in one recipe is incredibly amazing.
Lastly, for more information about the health benefits of salt, I invite you to check out this book for a quick read. There are many myths stating that we should avoid salt because it will make us carry water weight or raise our cholesterol, but I don’t think salt is our enemy. I believe that salt is a wonderful mineral to utilize. But there is a big difference between your everyday table salt and mineral or sea salt. With this, it’s good to note that there is usually a LOT of salt in processed foods, so if you aren’t eating a TON of those, chances are you probably don’t need to worry about your salt intake. As always, consult with your medical professional to be sure what’s right for you. My favorite salt to use is a good sea salt or a good pink Himalayan salt. If your dish tastes like salt, you have a bit too much in the recipe. Salt and pepper added to dishes can enhance the flavors immensely if used properly. I typically don’t measure these two items very often, I like to use them to taste or to preference if you will.
Alright, now that you have this deliciously savory recipe for some AVOGUACO you’re probably thinking… how do I use this? Just as a dip? We’re going to discuss the various ways that you can utilize AvoGuaco in your kitchen.
How to Use AvoGuaco
Dip
- We like to eat our AvoGuaco on homemade broccoli toast, on romaine leaves as a ‘boat’ which is really fun, with sliced radishes (YUM!), carrots, cauliflower, or grain free crackers/chips.
Topping
- This AvoGuaco makes an excellent topper for tacos, salads, burgers, pizza, breakfast skillets, eggs, mashed sweet potatoes, quinoa bowls and more!
Mix in
- I like to use this as base when I make ‘tuna salad’. I don’t really have a name for this yet, but what we do is add a can of either tuna or salmon to the AvoGuaco with either some mayo LINK or some stone ground mustard. After mixing it together, you have a delicious combination of flavors! I like to eat this mixture over a salad, on tacos, baked in the oven to use as a melt, inside quesadillas, or whatever else might sound desirable.
Substitutions
- Swap a sweet yellow onion instead of red onion
- Swap lime juice for lemon, or do a mix of the two!
- Try different versions of salt and pepper
- Add in green onions
- Bonus tip for onion lovers: we will sometimes top our AvoGuaco with sliced scallions for an extra crunch and flavor boost
Peter and I would like to THANK YOU for tuning in again to our second blog post, and we hope you enjoy our recipe and all the ways you can use it! If you have any questions around this recipe or food in general please email us at simplyyelevated@gmail.com and if you’d like to find out more about us, we are on Facebook and Instagram (IG). Peter Yovetich is peter.elevated on IG and I am simplyyarianne on IG. We would LOVE to hear from you!
Arianne Lind & Peter Yovetich
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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to diagnose or treat any illnesses or disease. Please always check with your doctor before beginning any new nutritional or fitness program or before making any nutritional/fitness changes.