10 SUPER FOODS YOU NEED IN YOUR PANTRY

poppy seeds

When you are thinking about stocking your pantry, you need to think about including some super foods that are not only delicious but healthy and filled with lots of necessary nutrients that we need on a daily basis. Super food generally refers to foods that have the added benefit of offering maximum nutritional benefits yet with for minimal calories. These great foods are packed with minerals, antioxidants and vitamins. Among the super foods include, fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, yoghurt, chocolate, fish, beans. The best part about having super foods in your pantry is that you can grab them any time since most like nuts and seeds keep for  long time. You can eat the super foods individually or you can mix and match them to create a delicious meal that will be filling build or even protect the body from infections. Most of these super foods are readily available at the local market, or even in the frozen section like fish.

PENNE PASTA WITH AVOCADO PESTO

I can't believe it is the last day of #AvocadoAugust! I have had so much fun coming up with these recipes that I seriously want to do it again! There are still hundreds of avocado recipes that I haven't even touched but excited that I was able to come up with 13 exciting delicious Avocado recipes. Wow! Hope you had as much fun as I did and I also want feedback on what other recipes you love that I can come up with or even suggest another theme month. The last recipe for this #AvocadoAugust is Penne Pasta With Avocado Pesto which is rich and full of flavours that just dance in your mouth. This combination with pesto is so far my best pasta recipe, which I will probably make more than twice. Avocado is BAE and LIFE. Looking forward to what September has to bring!

NO BAKE AVOCADO CHEESECAKE

Make your favourite all time cheese cake recipe healthy-ish by adding avocado. It's almost coming to an end, this #AvocadoAugust month and I cannot believe a whole month has just swooped by! Sniff! Sniff! What an amazing journey it has been! It's crazy that I have only cracked the tiny top of the gazzilion ways to use avocado in your everyday life. And this is only using the avocado as a meal, don't get me started on the many ways this fruit is used on your whole body. Story for another day really... I'm loving no bake recipes. When you don't have an oven or when it's just too hot to think about baking, you turn to recipes that don't require your oven. This recipe is quite easy and does not require too ma y ingredients so when you are craving cheesecake and you still want to add a healthy element, this is your go to dessert. 

CHOCOLATE AVOCADO TRUFFLES

I love chocolate and I cannot lie! I feel like I should sing that song while biting into these chocolate avocado truffles! Just perfect for the last week of my #AvocadoAugust theme. Avocado is proving to be a very versatile fruit that has found its way into yummy desserts, an excuse to indulge in decadent chocolate. Truffles originated in the region of Savoie in Chambery, France. My dream destination! A chocolate truffle is a confectionary that is traditionally made with a chocolate ganache center coated in chocolate, cocoa powder or chopped toasted nuts which include coconut, hazelnuts and almonds. Swiss truffle is made by combining melted chocolate into a boiling mixture of dairy cream and butter poured into molds to set before sprinkling with cocoa powder. French truffle is made with fresh cream and chocolate then rolled in cocoa or nut powder. European truffle is made with syrup and a base of cocoa powder, milk powder, fats and other ingredients to create an oil-in-water type emulsion. American truffle is a half egg shaped chocolate coated mixture of dark or milk chocolate with butter fat and hardened coconut oil. Belgium truffle or praline is made with dark or milk chocolate filled with ganache, butter cream or nut paste. Vegan truffles can have any shape or flavour and are adapted to vegan diets by replacing dairy with nut milk and butters. Now that we know the different kinds of truffles, let's get onto how to make them with a simple basic recipe below

HERB CRUSTED AVOCADO STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Ever looked at food and you wish you could just freeze it up so you can always look at it and admire it? Well,  I did, this amazing chicken, for a few seconds anyway, then I devoured it! Yap, that's how delicious this herb crusted, pan fried chicken breast was. Chicken should never be boring, whether cooking for one or the whole family. I love how amazing chicken always is no matter which style of cooking you decide to use. It being #AvocadoAugust of course Avocado had to feature in. I didn't want just to make a chicken avocado salad, I wanted something amazing! And amazing it was! I used my homemade Italian dressing to get that crunchy crust on the outside while the inside was moist sang juicy. Who knew chicken and avocado could be such an amazing combo!

PAPRIKA CUMIN AVOCADO FRIES

Avocado Fries. Wow! Where do I begin explaining from? I'm all for discovering new flavors, combinations and tastes, and since I'm doing #AvocadoAugust I thought why not try making fries out of this wonderful fruit? Avocado Fries are the best new thing you have to try! I made Ugali  Fries and the journey of fries is still ongoing. Healthy, spicy, crunchy yet so soft on the inside, these fries will make your life that much better! Avocado fries have been trending and it was only a matter of time before I made them. They looked delicious and I knew I had to try them. Avocados are full of healthy nutrients, great fats that are good for your body with the added benefits of being naturally sweet.

3 INGREDIENT AVOCADO ICE CREAM

It's illegal for dessert to taste this gooooood! It is a sin to enjoy healthy dessert without a care in the world. I never knew healthy, somewhat, could be this indulgent! I have totally had mad respect for this simple Avocado fruit! Only 3 ingredients and you get the richest, smoothest, creamiest, outrageously delicious, out of this world... need I continue... most delicious, oh yeah, already said that, just beautiful. I am not kidding with all those words used to describe this Avocado Ice cream. Where have you been all my life? What have I been doing on this planet? Why hasn't anyone "woked" me yet? I think its the sugar rush talking right now, I gave it full control over my taste buds and all common sense. Ahem, get a hold of yourself girl! So for this recipe I wanted a few Avocado chunks in my ice cream so I mashed with a fork but you can totally puree until smooth. Another day for my #AvocadoAugust and of course ice cream could not miss! Cheers to the next recipe!

AVOCADO WATERMELON SALAD WITH LEMON PEPPER DRESSING

Crunchy, fresh, sweet, savory, tasty, healthy.  If there is anything I love its having fresh salad. Nothing beats vibrant colours staring at you just waiting for you to munch down. I gave you a dessert in the last recipe so I thought I would go all healthy on you, but still keeping it 100% delicious for #AvocadoAugust! Salads come in different forms and you can choose to have yours with as little or as much ingredients as your heart desires. To get the best out of salads, you can use flavoured vinegar. Put herb sprigs like tarragon, basil, Rosemary and thyme into white wine vinegar and leave for 1 month before use. Nuts add texture interest as well as flavour to salads. They also provide protein. You can try hazlenuts, pecan, peanuts, almonds and even pistaschio in salads to give it crunch. Avocado gives this salad that rich creaminess and smooth texture while the lemon pepper dressing brings it to full circle. Simple ingredients yet big flavours is what you get from this delicious salad. What are some of your favourite salad toppings?

DARK CHOCOLATE AVOCADO MOUSSE

If you want to treat yourself to an extra fancy dessert, ready in less than 10 minutes that will satisfy your sweet tooth, a mousse is the perfect dessert. Make it even more healthy by using Avocado as the main best ingredient because this mousse is dairy free, gluten free and refined sugar free. A mousse is a soft prepared food that usually incorporates air bubbles to give it a light airy texture that ranges from light and fluffy to creamy and thick. You can choose to have a sweet mousse made with whipped cream and egg whites or both; or a savoury mousse made from meat, fish, foie gras, shell fish, vegetables and even cheese. Flavourings for mousses range from pureed fruits, coffee, herbs, spices and even caramel. Mousses are normally chilled before serving to give them a dense texture that's rich like truffles. A mousse is usually served as a dessert or used as an airy cake filling. My #AvocadoAugust mousse recipe is perfect and so easy to whip up! And much more delicious to devour! 

BREAKFAST EGG AVOCADO TOAST

Healthy, protein packed and delicious, is what you will get from this dish. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day therefore it should not only be filling and healthy, it should be scrumptious! This is exactly what you will get from this warm soft yet crunchy egg Avocado toast will give you. You can literally put any toppings or garnishes on this amazing avocado toast. #AvocadoAugust is getting more exciting as I try to come up with new dishes, as you can see Avocados can be eaten at any time of day and be included in most meals. From breakfast to lunch, dinner or even dessert!

AVOCADO OREO PARFAIT

A parfait just had to make it to my #AvocadoAugust month! Yeei! Parfaits are such great dessert ideas that you can even have as a breakfast option. You can whip it up in a few minutes and choose your combinations from fruits, nuts and even oats or cereals. The best part of making parfaits is that there really is no rule about what you can include in your parfait. Combine fruits and nuts, oats and fruits, cake and cookies or even a combination of all three. You don't even need to use yoghurt, you can skip by adding fruits like watermelon that has natural juices. I love parfaits with yoghurt because it makes it creamier, thicker and even more filling. I have made parfaits with apples, mango, cereal and even banana, all so delicious! Avocados just add that much needed oooomph! in any snack, dessert or meal. Yummy Oreos and  rich avocado, who knew it could be such a fantastic burst of flavors? The combination of avocado, oreos, yoghurt and oats gives this parfait a full dessert experience. 

AVOCADO - FRUIT OF THE WEEK

We've had so many Avocados in the house that it was only inevitable that I would speak about them. Avocado will be the ingredient of the week so look foward to its appearance in one or two recipes this coming week. The avocado (Persea americana) is a tree long thought to have originated in South Central Mexico, classified as a member of the flowering plant family Lauraceae. Recent archaeological research produced evidence that the avocado was present in Peru as long as 15,000 years ago (a bit of history). Avocado (also alligator pear) also refers to the tree's fruit, which is botanically a large berry containing a single seed. Avocados are commercially valuable and are cultivated in tropical and Mediterranean climates throughout the world.They have a green-skinned, fleshy body that may be pear-shaped, egg-shaped, or spherical. Commercially, they ripen after harvesting. Avocado trees are partially self-pollinating. Nutritionally,  a typical serving of avocado (100 g) is moderate to rich in several B vitamins and vitamin K, with good content of vitamin C, vitamin E and potassium. Avocados also contain phytosterols and carotenoids, such as lutein and zeaxanthin. Avocados have diverse fats. For a typical avocado: About 75% of an avocado's energy comes from fat, most of which (67% of total fat) is monounsaturated fat as oleic acid. Other predominant fats include palmitic acid and linoleic acid. Although costly to produce, nutrient-rich avocado oil has diverse uses for salads or cooking and in cosmetics and soap products.