Skinny Sexy Food: Avocado, Fennel and Cucumber Salad

I love avocados and in California where I spend a lot of time they are plentiful and delicious and I'm practically addicted to them. Thankfully, they've got plenty of creamy, sexy and delicious fat that's really good for you and they are completely versatile. The ancient Aztecs called the Avocado "ahuacatl" or "The testicle tree" . The avocado is indeed reputed to be great for boosting both the male and female libido, probably because of the enormous amounts of folic acid, B6 and potassium that they contain and the thyroid balancing and hormone enhancing effect that they have on both sexes. If that wasn't enough you've really got to love a fruit that you can put into a blender with some natural sweetener, a dash or two of smoky chipotle and several cups of really great chopped chocolate that turns into a sensuous and decadent dessert! Go ahead and eat them even if you think that you shouldn't. I promise that as part of a heart healthy low fat diet you can't go wrong enjoying them every now and then!

Then there is guacamole. I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to my guacamole and I love to make it fresh whenever I can. I think that one of the things that intimidates people about avocados is trying to figure out how to slice them.

Here's a simple trick:

Just take a sharp knife and carefully pierce the skin at the top and run the knife horizontally around the seed of the avocado from top to bottom. Then twist gently and the avocado will open exposing one half with the seed. Don't discard the seed if you plan to have a guacamole left. Putting the pit in the bowl with the leftovers does keep them from turning brown. I have absolutely no idea why....I just know that it works. Then take your knife and gently score the flesh from side to side and then reverse the fruit and do it the other way. You'll have avocado diamonds at that point! Take a spoon and separate the flesh from the skin. It should all just fall out at that point!

So last night I thought that I was making guacomole but what I was really wanting a refreshing salad, without a lot of lettuce. I had several ripe Haas (my favorites- less water and much richer flesh) avocados so I quickly sliced them into a bowl and added a diced baby cucumber, a cup of red onion, a cup of diced tomato (patted completely dry) and a cup of diced fennel. Then I added at least a cup of torn fresh cilantro and a 1/2 a cup of fresh dill. A dash of salt, a teaspoon of garlic powder, a 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin and the juice of one orange later I was ready. Take two forks and mash it all gently or if you're not squeamish about playing with your food just toss it with your hands. It should be very chunky yet creamy when you're done.

You can play with this...substitute lime juice for the orange juice or use them both. I've put diced pineapple in this salad instead of fennel or used cubed ripe papaya. Play with chili's if you like more heat. It's completely up to you!

The healthiest way to serve this is with veggies on the side but a few whole wheat baked pita chips (not added salt) won't hurt! Served with a side of fresh salsa.....Bliss!

Here's another easy way to cut avocados if you want slices not cubes!

This chart is courtesy of : http://www.avocado.org/healthy-living/nutrition

Spread and Dip Nutritional Comparison
	Fresh Avocado	Butter, salted	Sour Cream, Cultured	Cheddar Cheese	Mayonnaise, with salt
Portion (1 ounce)	2 Tbsp. or 2-3 Thin Slices	2 Tbsp.	2 Tbsp.	1 Slice	2 Tbsp.
Calories	50	204	60	114	109
Total Fat (g)	4.5	23	6	9.4	9.4
Sat Fat (g)	0.5	14.6	3.7	6	1.4
Cholesterol (mg)	0	61	13	30	7
Sodium (mg)	0	164	15	176	199