Most people erroneously think that a shift to vegetarianism will mean deprivation. Quite the contrary! There is a world of food out there to be discovered and we'd like to aid in the process. By sticking to a handful of staple foods, you limit your palate and your potential for glowing health Try perusing the aisles of the health food store(s) and fruit/veggie markets near you: you will notice a variety of foods that you have never before tried.

Every month, we will be featuring a little-known food that we hope you will begin incorporating into your eating repertoire. We will keep the foods of the months archived on the site (located at the bottom of this page) in case you wish to refer back, or in case you missed one...shame on you!!

Feature Food:

I would like to dedicate this feature food
to my avocado-addicted friend and business partner: Sherry.

The avocado is a fruit (that's a right a fruit, not a vegetable) with much mystery and allure attached to it. Its high fat content deter some from eating it, but there are phenomenal health benefits to eating avocados in moderation. Just last week I was employing my how-to-pick-a perfect-avocado skills in the supermarket when a strange (both unknown and peculiar) man asked me to help him pick out a ripe avocado.

So lets start with that mystery. A ripe avocado's flesh will yield slightly to the touch (semi-firm, yet flexible) and the stem should come out without to much provocation. Should you, however, choose an under-ripe avocado, a sure-fire way to ripen it is to seal the avocado in a brown paper bag, and keep in a warm but not hot place. If the avocado has already been cut open, coat the surfaces with margarine and store the same way.

Mystery #2: how to keep your avocado (once peeled, cut or even added to a recipe) from browning: throw the pit in with the avocado and it will maintain its brilliant green colour! Who knew?

And the most exciting mystery of all is the avocado's association with the erotic. Over many centuries the avocado has maintained its reputation as an aphrodisiac. Legend has it that the Aztec word for the avocado tree is Ahuacuatl : roughly translated: testicle tree. No doubt, the name arose because of the way the fruit of the tree hung in pairs reminding those ancient people of human male anatomy. Further to this though, apparently the young Aztec women were confined indoors while this erotic fruit with aphrodisiac qualities was being harvested!!

On to the G -rated content… the avocado is also known as the alligator pear and it is native to tropical America. The fruit is a greenish, thick-skinned drupe, similar in size and shape to a large pear. When ripe, the flesh has the consistency of firm butter and a faint nutlike flavor. In North America, the avocado is popular as a salad vegetable, and in the tropics it is often used in soup. The tree is extensively cultivated in the southern United States and California.

Avocados contain "good" unsaturated fats that do not raise blood cholesterol. Although the avocado is high in fat, 60% of the fat is monounsaturated, 20% is polyunsaturated, and 20% is saturated. The edible portion of an 8-ounce California avocado yields 30 grams of fat.

Nutritionally the avocado leads all other fruit in beta carotene and even exceeds the banana in potassium. While other fruits gain sugar as they ripen, the avocado's sugar content decreases as it matures. It contains more protein, potassium, magnesium, folic acid, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, pantothenic acid, vitamin E, and vitamin K per ounce than any other fruit.

Though the avocado is calorie dense, (one-half cup pureed flesh contains 204 calories), the benefits outweigh the concern over its total fat content of 19.9 grams. That same one-half cup of pureed avocado has a protein content of 2.4 grams with 3.1 grams of fiber. Using that same quantity, the avocado contains only 8 grams of carbohydrates and a surprising 704 IU of vitamin A. It's rich in the B vitamins, especially niacin, scoring 2.20 mg., folic acid registering 75.4 mcg., calcium at 13 mg., iron at 1.36 mg., and a mountain of potassium showing 729 mg. Despite the avocado's numerous benefits, it should still be eaten in moderation because of its high fat content! Sorry Sherry!

• 1 1-lb. package frozen corn, thawed
• 2 cans black olives, drained and sliced or chopped
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 T. cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 1 t. dried oregano
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
• 4 ripe avocados, diced

In a large bowl, combine the first 4 ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the next 7 ingredients. Pour over corn mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Just before serving, dice avocados and stir into salsa.