Avocado - a Super Food! But, how to stop it from going brown.

I have avocado with my eggs for breakfast and in my salad for lunch everyday. High in monounsaturated fats which are healthy fats, avocados are great for your skin. They are also high in potassium which help to balance electrolytes (managing water retention and nerve function), high in vitamin K,  B and E.

Oftentimes I don’t need a whole avocado, especially when I’m making food for just myself, so I am left with a spare avocado half. As we all know, the cut surface of an avocado quickly turns brown making it hard to store for long.

This is due to an enzyme in avocados that causes the flesh to oxidize when exposed to air, turning it an unappealing brown color. Many people simply press a piece of plastic wrap over the cut surface to limit the exposure of the cut surface to oxygen but it usually is not enough. This may do in the short term but it won’t last longer than a day or so.

Here are a few things I do to keep my cut avocado fresh and green for longer:

1. Sprinkle some lemon juice on it! 

I have found that the best way to keep a cut avocado green and fresh is to sprinkle some lemon juice on it. The lemon juice slows down the oxidation process.

2. Store it with an onion! 

The other option is storing the cut avocado in a sealed container with onion. Apparently the sulfur acts as a preservative which also slows down the process.

1. Cut your avocado in half and fill a glass or plastic container near full with water. With the flesh-side down, place the avocado in the container, cover, and place in the fridge. This will keep your avocado from turning brown for a little longer.
2.  Brush the cut half of the avocado flesh with a neutral-tasting oil such as avocado oil or olive oil), and then place in an airtight container to make it last a couple more days.

No matter which method you choose, the theme is to cover the surface to stop it from being exposed to the air and therefore stop the oxidation process. Whether it be water, lemon juice, oil or popping it in with an onion, these should do the trick and stop your avocados from turning brown so soon.

Avocados are such a great addition to salads. For me they act as a substitute for a lot of the creamy dressings.

Give this recipe a try and enjoy the flavour and texture of this light, crisp, tangy yet creamy salad.

Recipe: Tangy Avocado Salsa. (serves 2)

1 whole avocado

½ cherry tomatoes, halved

¼ cup finely chopped red onion

¼ cup finely chopped cilantro

2 sprigs of chopped green onion.

Dressing:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp white vinegar

1 tbsp lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste.

Add all salad ingredients into a bowl. Add all dressing ingredients in a small bowl/cup and mix thoroughly. Drizzle dressing over the top of the salad and toss lightly.