Happy Cinco de Mayo! In a different lifetime, I spent many years working in a Mexican restaurant slinging margaritas and chips and salsa! These days, we enjoy a kid-friendly Mexican dishes close to home.
In the name of Mexican pride and heritage, I thought I’d share some information we learned about one of our favorite fruits, the avocado. Native to Mexico and Central America, the avocado is often called one of nature’s perfect foods.
Naturally, this fruit makes one of the best first foods for babies because of its creamy texture and good fats. According to Avocado.org, avocados have 3.5 grams of unsaturated fats, which are known to be important for normal growth and development of the central nervous system and brain.
Since we’re on the topic of avocados, I learned a lot about avocados recently. I had the chance to ask Chef Pati Jinich, host of Pati’s Mexican Table, about avocados and here are just some questions I asked. She kindly answered my questions in a video, so be sure to check it out. Btw, that’s not my voice asking the questions but you already knew that.
1. What are your tips on choosing avocados at the grocery store?
2. How do you suggest on properly cutting and storing avocados?
3. What are your favorite avocado recipes for babies and kids?
4. How do you serve avocados to your family for breakfast or brunch?
5. Do you have any thoughts on the recent news that avocados crops may be affected by the west coast droughts?
6. Can you tell us about the different types of avocados and which is your favorite kind for certain recipes?
7. Can you share your favorite recipe for guacamole, which is one of my family’s most-consumed food.
And here’s a fun recipe from of Pati’s Mexican Table for you fellow guac-loving families.
Mango Guacamole with Grilled Tortilla Wedges Guacamole de Mango
Serves: 6
Ingredients
2 ripe Hass avocados, halved, pitted, meat scooped out and roughly mashed or diced
1 cup diced, fresh, ripe, peeled mango
3 tablespoons chopped white onion
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeño or serrano chile, seeded optional, or to taste
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt, or to taste
Corn or flour tortillas, cut into wedges and grilled
To Prepare
Gently mix the avocado, mango, onion, cilantro, chile, lime juice and salt in a bowl, or mash in a molcajete. Serve with grilled tortilla wedges.
