Easy Avocado Recipes You’ll Love This Summer

I love avocados! They are one of my favorite foods – buttery, filling, and nutritious – and I get so excited for ripe avocados in the summer time. People would laugh at me at work because I was often sitting at my desk eating a peeled avocado, like one would eat an apple, for a mid-morning snack or an afternoon pick-me-up. Needless to say, I was thrilled to find so many avocado recipes in the most recent Delicious Living. And even better, all of them are special-diet friendly! The Endive, Avocado, & Grapefruit Salad, the Chunky Avocado Sweet Potato Salad, and the Chunky Mango Avocado Dip are Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free, Paleo, and Vegan!

Avocados are so good for you too – they have a ton of vitamins and nutrients. They are full of fiber, potassium, and antioxidants. And they contain heart healthy fats that can lower cholesterol and dramatically increase nutrient absorption from other plant food. So enjoy these delicious, easy avocado recipes all summer long!

Endive, Avocado & Grapefruit Salad

Creamy avocado, bitter endive, sweet grapefruit, and crunchy macadamia nuts perfectly combine in this fresh summer appetizer.

Ingredients

• 1 ruby grapefruit or navel orange
• 2 tablespoons unrefined avocado oil
• 1 tablespoon blackberry or raspberry fruit spread or preserves
• ½ tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 large, ripe, firm avocado, peeled and diced small
• 1 cup (packed) baby arugula leaves, chopped
• ¼ cup toasted macadamia nuts (finely chopped)
• 2 large heads Belgian endive, leaves separated (about 16 leaves)

Directions

1. Grate 1 teaspoon zest from grapefruit skin; set zest aside. Using a sharp knife, cut off peel and white pith from grapefruit. Holding over a bowl to catch juice, cut segments away from membranes and transfer them to a plate. Once all segments are removed, squeeze juice from membranes into bowl. Chop grapefruit segments into small chunks and set aside.
2. In a blender, combine 1½ tablespoons grapefruit juice with reserved zest, avocado oil, preserves and shallot. Purée until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
3. In a separate bowl, combine chopped grapefruit, avocado, arugula and macadamia nuts; toss with grapefruit vinaigrette. Spoon mixture into endive leaves and serve immediately.

Chunky Avocado Sweet Potato Salad

A unique twist on summer’s quintessential potato salad, this avocado recipe is as healthy and nutritious as it is delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 cup peeled, diced sweet potato (1 small sweet potato)
• 4 avocados, seeded, peeled, and diced
• ½ cup finely chopped dried apricots (unsulfured)
• 2 cups fresh salsa
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon minced cilantro
• ½ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a saucepan, simmer sweet potato in salted water until tender, 10 minutes. Remove from heat, strain, and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine avocado, apricots, salsa, lime juice, oil, and cumin. Gently fold in sweet potato, cilantro, and salt. Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 4 hours.

Chunky Mango Avocado Dip

A new twist on guacamole – so yummy and perfect for summer gatherings!

Ingredients

• 3 large mangoes (peeled and diced to ½-inch pieces)
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 serrano or jalapeño pepper (seeded and finely diced)
• ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 4 medium avocados (peeled, pitted and diced to ¾-inch pieces)
• ½ teaspoon coarse salt

You can top with crumbled feta or Cotija cheese (which obviously won’t work for Dairy-Free, Paleo, or Vegan). Eliminate the peppers to make less spicy, which I do when making this for my kids. If you still want a little kick, I like to substitute about a tablespoon of the juice from a jar of jalepeños.

Directions

1. In a large bowl, place diced mango; toss with lime juice, orange juice and diced pepper. Add cilantro, onion, avocado and salt; gently toss until mixed.
2. Transfer dip to a serving bowl or dish.
3. Serve dip with fresh radishes, cut into rounds or with tortilla chips. I love these grain-free tortilla chips from Siete Foods (that I wrote about in this post about my favorite grain-free snacks).

I hope you enjoy these awesome avocado recipes!