Spinach & avocado soup

Ingredients 800g spinach, 1/2 nutmeg, 1 onion, 1 avocado, 1 potato, 1 tsp avocado oil.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 20 minutes

I love soup. I find all the chopping, stirring and pureeing very soothing, the warm smells that fill the house comforting, and I love ladling out steamy bowls of soup for people to dunk hot crispy bread into, dressing it with ever more creative croutons or swirls of cream and yoghurt. This soup is so thick and glossy and brimming with super-healthy spinach and avocado to keep those winter colds at bay.


1) Peel and finely dice the onion and the potato. Add the onion and avocado oil to a pan and allow to soften (about 5 minutes if you've chopped it finely enough) before adding the potato and enough water just to cover them (ideally about 1/4 pint)

2) When the potatoes are soft (about 10 minutes), add the spinach to the pan in installments, stirring well as it wilts down. Remove from the heat and strain the liquid away from the other ingredients (do not discard).

3) Halve the avocado around the stone and twist it apart. Remove the stone and scoop the avocado flesh from the shell. Add to a blender and blitz thoroughly. Add the contents of the pan and puree, adding a little of the liquid at a time until the desired consistency is reached. I like a good, thick soup but this is entirely your preference.

4) Stir in about half of a freshly grated nutmeg (don't ever bother with the powdered stuff - it tastes and smells of nothing!) with half a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper (and salt if you wish, though I never do) to season, and serve.

Gnocchi with cashew & avocado sauce

Ingredients Gnocchi: Potato, pasta flour, egg, plain flour. Sauce: 4 tbs cashew cream, 100ml water, 1 avocado

Serves: 2 Preparation: 10 minutes (plus 1 hour for gnocchi, overnight for cashew cream preparation)

This is a combination of two of my recipes: gnocchi and cashew cream as a serving suggestion, but it's also a great way to use up a ripe avocado. If like me you eat them pretty much daily, there will always be one in your fruit bowl (ahem... bucket might be a more apt description in my case...) and this is a great, healthy supper with a protein-rich sauce.

1) My recipe for gnocchi here. If you would like to make this vegan, just omit the egg.

2) My recipe for cashew nut cream here.

3) Bring the gnocchi to the boil in a large pan of salted water. Once the little dumplings float to the surface, they're done.

4) Slice the avocado in half and use a tablespoon to scoop it from the shell. If the avocado is ripe enough the stone will pop out with a spoon but another good method is to prick it with a knife and pull it out. Pop into your food processor, squish through a potato ricer or mash with a fork/masher and add to the cashew cream. I like to flavour this up with a little mustard and salt sometimes but the delicate creamy flavour is lovely just as it is. Drain the gnocchi and stir into the sauce.

Almond buttered bean salad

Ingredients 2 tbs almond butter, 1 tsp truffle oil, 1/4 cup peas, 1/2 courgette, 1 avocado, 1 can cannellini beans.

Serves: 4 (or two as a side dish) Preparation: 10 minutes

Winter to me (like every other season as a vegetarian I suppose!) is somewhat bean-centric. Soups and stews galore are packed with the wonderful range of colours and textures that these little nuggets of protein provide. This salad combines the delicate flavour of courgette and cannellini beans with gutsy almond, earthy truffle and sweet, fresh peas. The dressing is slick and silky with avocado.

1) Rinse the beans and bring to the boil in a pan of salted water for 5 minutes.

2) In a separate pan, warm the almond butter and truffle oil, stirring until a runny dressing has formed, then take off the heat.

3) Slice the avocado in half and use a tablespoon to scoop it from the shell. If the avocado is ripe enough the stone will pop out with a spoon but another good method is to prick it with a knife and pull it out. For the purpose of this dish, roughly dice it into centimetre thick pieces and stir gently into the almond and truffle dressing along with the peas. Some of the avocado will melt to form a thicker sauce and the remains will add texture.

4) I like thin slices of raw courgette in this dish, but you can roast chunks of it if you prefer. Add to the pan of dressing then drain the beans and stir through before serving warm or cold.

Roast garlic & avocado dip

Ingredients 1 avocado, 2 garlic cloves, bread (I baked olive loaf this morning).

Serves: 4 Preparation: 15 minutes

There are some things I prepare for lunch that are so quick and simple that I hesitate to call them a recipe, but this was just too luscious not to share. 2 ingredients and some good bread and you have the perfect lunch or quick supper or a fabulous dip.

1) Roast the garlic cloves in the oven for 10 minutes at 200 degrees. Peel the skins off and add to a blender.

2) Slice the avocado in half and use a tablespoon to scoop it from the shell. If the avocado is ripe enough the stone will pop out with a spoon but another good method is to prick it with a knife and pull it out. Add the avocado to the blender and pulse thoroughly until the mixture is smooth, creamy and the garlic has become thoroughly amalgamated. Season to taste.

3) Spread onto the bread or use for dunking crudites and crackers.

Tequila, lime & avocado risotto

Ingredients 1 cup risotto rice, 1 pint vegetable stock, 1 lime, 1 avocado, 1 leek, 1/2 cup tequila, 30g cheddar, butter. dried chilli flakes to garnish

Serves: 2 Preparation: 45 minutes

All risottos (no matter what the ingredients) can be made in 3 simple stages. The first is called tostatura - coating the rice in fat, the second involves cooking off some alcohol and the third involves releasing the starch from the rice one ladle of stock at a time. This risotto is one of my favourite new summer recipes. The sharp tang of lime and tequila, the creamy texture of melting cheddar in combination with soft avocado... it's scrumptious and so different.

1) Zest the lime and cut in half. Squeeze the juice and stir into the tequila.

2) Slice the avocado in half and use a tablespoon to scoop it from the shell. If the avocado is ripe enough the stone will pop out with a spoon but another good method is to prick it with a knife and pull it out. Slice the avocado into chunks, and cut the cheddar into chunks roughly the same size.

3) Slice the leek and sautee the discs in a little butter until soft strands remain. Add the risotto rice and stir until the rice becomes transparent, revealing a white dot in the centre and pour in the tequila and lime juice. Once the alcohol cooks off, add the first ladle of stock, the lime zest and stir through.

4) Continue adding the stock to the risotto, one ladle at a time, adding the avocado with the second to last ladle of stock.

5) When the rice has fluffed up and has become soft, stir through the chunks of cheddar, sprinkle with the chilli flakes and serve. Remember, risotto should be soupy, not solid.

Ginger beer battered avocado

Ingredients  Avocado, plain flour, ginger beer, oil for frying (I used ginger flavoured Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil).

Preparation: 10 minutes

The secret to good tempura batter is to use ice-cold water to make it extra crispy. Another trick is to use carbonated liquid - my beer batter or gin and tonic batter for example is fabulous. Ginger beer gives this the double threat of crispiness and flavour, and oh what flavour - ginger and avocado are wonderful partners and frying this in ginger oil only increased the taste combination.

1) Bring your oil to the boil, yo.

2) Whisk plain flour together with cold ginger beer - the batter should be a thick, stiff consistency in order to stick to the avocado.

3) Slice the avocado in half and use a tablespoon to scoop it from the shell. If the avocado is ripe enough the stone will pop out with a spoon but another good method is to prick it with a knife and pull it out. Slice the avocado into chunks and dunk into the batter - using a skewer to dip will ensure maximum coverage. Deep fry until the batter is golden, then serve immediately.

I served this with yoghurt dip - Rachel's Organic Greek yoghurt, salt and pepper and chopped fresh mint.

Stuffed courgette: red rice, cheddar & avocado

Ingredients 1 Courgette, 1 avocado, 1/4 cup red rice (I got mine from Millie's in Leeds), 1/4 cup cheddar, olive oil.

Serves: 1 Preparation: 35 minutes

Round courgettes are adorable - just as fresh and juicy as their longer counterpart, but in a convenient shape for stuffing. The filling was inspired by my husband mistaking the courgette for an avocado, bless him the shape and size and colour is similar enough... the red rice adds texture to the meltingly soft avocado and cheddar and makes this a great meal for a hungry tummy.

1) Slice the courgette in half, scoop out the seeds with a spoon drizzle it with olive oil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 200 degrees.

2) Cover the rice with water and cook on the hob for 30 minutes before straining.

3) Slice the avocado in half and use a tablespoon to scoop it from the shell. If the avocado is ripe enough the stone will pop out with a spoon but another good method is to prick it with a knife and pull it out. Slice the avocado into chunks and stir into the rice along with the cheddar, grated. Spoon the filling into the courgette and return to the oven for 1 minute before serving.

Tempura avocado & grapefruit kebabs

Ingredients 1/4 cup Plain flour, 1/4 cup cold water, 1 avocado, 1 grapefruit, halloumi

Preparation: 10 minutes

Creamy avocado and tangy pink grapefruit are the perfect combination. I have been experimenting this week with grapefruit hollandaise for tempura avocado, which didn't give me enough of a flavour kick, and then I hit on the perfect solution - just leave the grapefruit in all its natural glory and make up the texture with halloumi to form these unusual, but fabulous kebabs.

1) Slice the avocado in half and use a tablespoon to scoop it from the shell. If the avocado is ripe enough the stone will pop out with a spoon but another good method is to prick it with a knife and pull it out. Slice the avocado into segments.

2) Peeling a grapefruit is best done with a chef's knife - peel through the thick skin and white pith until the pink of the fruit is revealed. Remove the segments by cutting into the natural sections of the fruit and popping them out with your knife.

3) Slice the halloumi into thick chunks and roast at the top of the oven, or grill for 3-4 minutes (until the centre is melting soft and the edges begin to colour).

4) Whisk the flour with ice-cold water (the colder the water, the crispier the batter - that's the trick with tempura) and dip in the avocado segments. Deep fry for about a minute, until the batter is golden. Skewer, along with the halloumi and grapefruit segments.

Courgette & avocado linguine

Ingredients 1 courgette, 1 avocado, 1 lemon, coriander, parmigiano, linguine.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 15 minutes

I was just plating up this meal when my waters broke, leading to the premature birth of my Starchild, but please don't blame the food! This dish is full of spring freshness - juicy courgette, creamy avocado and citrus notes of lemon and coriander make wonderful company for pasta.

1) Bring the pasta to the boil in a pan of salted water and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

2) Cut the courgette into centimetre thick slices, then quarter. Toss in freshly squeezed lemon juice and coriander, then roast in the oven at 200 degrees for 10 minutes.

3) Halve the avocados and scoop the fruit from the shell, discarding the stone. Pulse in the blender until smooth and creamy, then stir in the courgette and linguine. Serve with shavings of parmigiano.

Avocado fishcakes

Ingredients 1 avocado, 1 Maris Piper potato, smoked salmon, prawns, spring onion, old bread, coriander, lime

Serves: 4 Preparation: 30 minutes

When I posted my recipe for avocado mash last week, I knew (despite my hatred of fish) that it would make the perfect base for a fishcake. Some smoked salmon, juicy prawns, the delicate creamy avocado mash with a tangy hit of lime smothered in coriander breadcrumbs... if you like fish then you'll love this!

1) Peel and cut the potatoes, then boil in hot salted water for 20 minutes and strain away the water. Set aside to cool.

2) Pulse the bread in the blender to form crumbs and stir through some finely chopped coriander.

3) Halve the avocados and scoop the fruit from the shell, discarding the stone. Pulse in the blender until smooth and creamy, then add the potato, a squeeze of lime and pulse again to combine.

4) Chop 2 spring onions and stir through the mash, along with the salmon and prawns and season well. Form into patties and roll in the breadcrumbs.

5) You could fry these, but I baked in the oven for 15 minutes. Perfect with mayonnaise, yoghurt or even cocktail sauce

Cupcake Burgers: Avocado, cheddar & bacon

Ingredients Burger: 400g beef mince, 1/2 white onion, 2 portobello mushrooms, butter Frosting: 1 avocado, 4 Maris Piper potatoes, 50g cheddar, black pepper, pancetta

Serves: 6 Preparation: 30 minutes

This is possibly one of the weirdest of my creations, but I'm actually really proud of the way it has worked out! Cupcakes persist in being ridiculously hot in popular culture and ever more elaborate flavour combinations and decorations come flooding in. But what about people who don't like cake, or can't have sugar? Why should they suffer? Enter... the Cupcake Burger.
I have done a series of different "frostings" - this fabulous coloured and fabulous tasting avocado mash is exquisite. If you'd rather try a different burger, including one of my vegetarian or vegan options... check out these ideas.

1) First make the avocado mash, then finely dice the onion and mushroom and fry off in a very little butter until the juice from the mushrooms has evaporated. 

2) Pour away the juices from the mushroom and add the mixture to a blender along with the beef mince. Pulse to combine and then separate into rough patties.

3) Press firmly into the cupcake tins, remembering the burgers will shrink a little when cooked, so be generous and pack it in tight. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 200 degrees.

4) Spoon the mash into a piping bag and top the burgers with a swirl of "frosting" just like a cupcake! I topped this with crispy fried pancetta for decoration.

Avocado & cheddar mash

Ingredients 1 avocado, 4 Maris Piper potatoes, 50g cheddar, black pepper

Serves: 4 Preparation: 30 minutes

Mashed potato is without a doubt my favourite food. It is the ultimate in comfort and is wonderfully versatile. Much like everything goes with toast, in my humble opinion you can add pretty much anything to mashed potato from citrus to cheese to spices to vegetables and it will still be nothing short of divine. The delicate, cool flavour of avocado when mixed with the tang of cheddar is absolutely delicious and has the creamiest texture! For my vegan readers, I can now confirm that mashed potato without butter is possible. Get your avocado onnnnn. I insist on the cheddar though... tee hee.

1) Peel and cut the potatoes, then boil in hot salted water for 20 minutes and strain away the water.

2) Halve the avocados and scoop the fruit from the shell, discarding the stone.  Pulse in the blender until smooth and creamy, then add the potato and pulse again to combine. 

3) Stir through the cheddar and black pepper and serve hot.

Veggie Scramble

Ingredients 4 eggs, 200g spinach, 4 baby plum tomatoes, 1 avocado, 50g gruyere, bread, salt, black pepper, butter

Serves: 2 preparation: 15 minutes

There's a reason that this blog is called Everything Goes With Toast - in my humble opinion, when it comes to quick snacks, there is little in this world better than gilding a piece of toast with beautiful cheeses, vegetables, fruits, jams... I don't think I'll ever exhaust the potential of a slice of toast.
This is one of my favourite lunches - a thick wedge of crunchy, seedy bread topped with meltingly soft - well seasoned eggs and the juicy, silky combination of tomato, avocado and spinach. Packed full of goodness, super quick to make and utterly irresistable.

1) Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk thoroughly. Season with salt and black pepper (I've discovered this amazing seaweed salt recently - soooo savoury) and set aside.

2) Pop the tomatoes off the vine and slice in half. Add to the pan with a knob of butter, the spinach and stir through until the spinach has just begun to wilt.

3) Halve the avocados and scoop the fruit from the shell, discarding the stone. Cut the avocado into chunks and add to the pan, along with the eggs and grated gruyere.

4) Stir constantly for 3-4 minutes until the eggs are cooked, then spoon the veggie scramble onto a slice of toast and serve immediately.

Since becoming pregnant, I have really enjoyed spreading hummus onto the toast before adding the eggs... but I can't guarantee that this will suit everyone's tastebuds! It's a good source of extra protein if nothing else!

Avocado egg mayonnaise

Ingredients 1 avocado, 2 eggs. Serving suggestion: bacon, spinach, read

Serves: 2 Preparation: 10 minutes

Being all pregnant and stuff, I cannot make my own mayonnaise as I'm not allowed unpasteurised, raw egg things. I know that I can buy pregnancy-friendly mayonnaise but it makes my soul die just a little bit. My solution was to puree some gorgeous creamy avocado instead. Oh so silky, oh so yummy and much better for you than mayonnaise as avocado is a Good Fat!
My darling hubby enjoyed this as part of his bacon sandwich.

1) Boil the eggs for 8 minutes, then remove the shells and cut into chunks

2) Halve the avocados and scoop the fruit from the shell, discarding the stone. Pulse in the blender until smooth, then season with salt and black pepper to taste.

3) Stir the eggs into the avocado and you're done!

Avocado dauphinoise

Ingredients 1 avocado, 1 large King Edward potato, avocado oil, cheddar.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 30 minutes

I absolutely adore dauphinoise potatoes. The taste, the texture, the utter indulgence... I don't know anyone that doesn't like it. (Come on, out of the woodwork with you then! Prove me wrong!) The only thing that ever makes me hesitate about eating it, is the fat content. So much cream, so much cheese... it's so very naughty. I have recently been somewhat obsessed with avocado, and made it my mission to feature it in this healthy alternative to dauphinoise potatoes - less carbs, no fatty sauce, yet no compromising on texture.

1) Slice your potatoes finely with a mandolin or a knife. Brush lightly with avocado oil (you can use olive oil if you don't have any) and bake for 15 minutes on a high heat.

2) Halve the avocados and scoop the fruit from the shell, discarding the stone. Slice into approximately 1/2 centimetre thick slices.

3) I used vintage cheddar for this recipe, a good strong flavour, but this is entirely according to taste. You could use a diet cheddar, but for the right texture, it's really got to be a relatively waxy cheese. Slice about 1/2 centimetre thick.

4) Starting with a slice of potato, layer the avocado and cheese between slices of potato. You could fill a ramekin or individual circle moulds, or make a larger version in a casserole dish.

5) Bake for 5-10 minutes until the top slice of potato begins to crisp, and the cheese has melted. Serve hot or cold.

Pancetta, pea & avocado soup

Ingredients 175g pancetta, 1/2 pint ham stock, 300g garden peas, 1 avocado.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 20 minutes

A while ago, I posted a recipe for a fabulous vegetarian soup - pea & avocado which is made with vanilla yoghurt and marrowfat peas. It's thick, rich and velvety and not as sweet as you might expect. Recently I was looking for a new soup idea for a dinner party and thought of mixing the fresh sweetness of garden peas with perfect piggy savoury notes and revisiting that lovely thick avocado texture. Give it a try.

1) Bring the ham stock to a simmer, then add the garden peas and cook for 5 minutes. Strain the peas from the stock (do not discard) and pulse in a blender thoroughly.

2) Pass the peas through a sieve and back into the ham stock to separate the flesh from the skins - this helps your soup to be smooth textured. It might seem like a lot of fuss but trust me - it's worth it!

3) Add the pancetta and allow to cook for a further 5 minutes. The soup shouldn't need seasoning due to the savoury ham stock and pancetta but taste it, and add salt and black pepper if required.

4) Halve the avocados and scoop the fruit from the shell, discarding the stone. Pulse the avocado in the blender and stir into the soup before serving with a dollop of Greek yoghurt.

Avocado linguine

Ingredients Linguine, 1 avocado, baby plum tomatoes, vintage cheddar or parmigiano

Serves: 2 Preparation: 10 minutes

For bringing this recipe into your lives, I would bet my shiny red Doc Martin boots that you will feel compelled to forever love, adore and shower me with gifts - such as your first born children. It is not only quick, cheap and healthy - it is also stunningly, inconceivably delicious. Think thick, smooth, creamy, buttery textured avocado, the fresh sharp sweetness of tomato and the rich tang of cheddar. This is quite simply stunning.

1) Put the linguine on to boil in hot salted water for 8 - 10 minutes.

2) Halve the avocado around the stone and twist it apart. Remove the stone and scoop the avocado flesh from the shell. Add to a blender and blitz thoroughly.

3) Halve your baby plum tomatoes and place under the grill for 5 minutes.

4) Stir the grated cheddar or parmeggian into the sauce - this shouldn't need any seasoning so it's great for those on low-sodium diets or children. If you don't eat cheese, then do season the avocado with salt and pepper.

5) Strain the pasta and stir into the avocado. Serve immediately with the grilled tomatoes.

Curly fries with avocado & cucumber mousse‏

Ingredients 1 avocado, 1/4 cucumber, mint, salt, potato, polenta, cayenne pepper

Preparation: 10 minutes

This recipe is unusual for me in that I am using equipment that few people are likely to have. This blog is aimed at people who want to learn to make very simple, but gorgeous food using ingredients that are widely available and do not require speciality equipment. I recently bought a spiralizer, which cuts vegetables into... you've guessed it... spiral strands or strips so that one can make curly fries or vegetable spaghetti so whether you want my recipe for the perfect spiral fries, or want to just make this delicious, fresh mousse... here you go!

1) Halve the avocado around the stone and twist it apart. Remove the stone and scoop the avocado flesh from the shell. Add to a blender with 2-3 mint leaves and 1/4 of a peeled cucumber then blitz thoroughly.

2) Season to taste with salt and chopped mint. This goes beautifully with something spicy - if you don't have a spiralizer, try seasoning potato or sweet potato wedges instead to dunk into it.

3) To make the curly fries: spiralize the potato and add to a bowl. Dust with polenta and shake the bowl until the potato is covered. Deep fry for 3-4 minutes and season with salt and cayenne pepper.

Avocado & egg on toast

Ingredients     Rye bread, avocado, Rachel's Organic greek yoghurt, egg

Serves: 1 preparation: 5 minutes

This hardly counts as a recipe as it's so quick and simple but I've been getting so many requests for snacks recently and this is absolutely lush...

1) Halve the avocado around the stone, twisting one half to release it. Pop out the stone and scoop the flesh from the shell. Mash with a fork and a tablespoon of Greek yoghurt.

2) Spread onto toast (I prefer this with rye bread) and top with a griddled egg. 

Duck egg & avocado burrito

Ingredients 1 avocado, 1 duck egg, goats cheese, tortilla

Serves: 1 preparation: 10 minutes


There is very little in this world nicer than a just hard boiled duck's egg, still hot when combined with avocado. The creamy taste and soft texture goes perfectly with a mild chevre and a sprinkling of black pepper. A perfect lunch.


1) Boil the egg for 8 minutes in hot water, then carefully remove it and press it against a firm surface to crack the shell and make it easier to peel.


2) Whilst the egg is hot, cut the avocado in half and remove the stone. Scoop the flesh from the shell and cut into chunks.


3) Add to the tortilla with some pepper and room temperature goats cheese and wrap it up - to fold the burrito, take the left and right side and lift to ensure the contents are dead centre, then first fold the bottom over the contents, then the left and right sides and tuck in the top.