BAKED AVOCADO STUFFED WITH BEANS AND SMOKED CHEESE, 209 calories
This is one of my favourite dishes of all time: eating a version of this when I was 18, way before avocados were trendy, made me realise how exciting veggie food could be. The flavour of avocados becomes nuttier and richer when they are gently baked. I’ve added beans here (you don’t need many, use whatever you have), paprika and smoked cheese. One tip: use ripe but not squishy avocados, as the older ones become stringy and brown when baked.
Serves 1
Preparation time: 8 minutes
Cooking time: 10–12 minutes
Ingredients:
1 small avocado, 100–120 calories depending on size
30g cooked, drained beans, such as borlotti, 28
1/2 teaspoon paprika, 3
1 spring onion, finely sliced, 2
10g smoked cheese, 38
Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
To serve
1 dessertspoon half-fat crème fraiche, 18
5 cherry tomatoes, 15–25
2 small wedges cut from an iceberg lettuce, 5
Cooking instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
2. Cut the avocado in half and remove the stone. Lightly crush the beans with the paprika and mix with the sliced spring onion.
3. Place the avocado on a baking tray and pile the bean mix into its centre, to cover. Slice the cheese very thinly to cover the beans and as much flesh as possible. Bake in the oven for 10–12 minutes.
4. Season and serve with the crème fraiche, plus the cherry tomatoes and
lettuce wedges – these are great for scooping up the hot filling.
P. S. The same technique works well with cream cheese or a blue cheese like Stilton, with a topping of walnuts on a non-Fast Day. For a vegan version, top the beans with mixed seeds and a good sprinkling of nutritional yeast.
For more recipes like this, try my recipe book 5:2 Veggie & Vegan.
It includes tips, recipes and a complete guide to intermittent fasting, veggie style.