When I was a young girl and my parents had guests over for dinner, they would always serve the same appetizer. It consisted of a half avocado in the skin filled with my mom’s homemade vinaigrette.
My mom’s dressing was special. Not because it was fancy – with 10 kids at her feet, she was by no means a fussy cook. I liked her vinaigrette because it was mostly vinegar and I delighted in the sharp taste of this liquid and the shivers that ran through my body every time I tasted it.
Whenever I thought my mom wasn’t looking, I would dip my finger into her carefully filled avocados and revel in the taste of the sour acid (happily the guests never knew). I grew up with a penchant for vinegar and a great love for the creamy texture and delicious taste of avocado.
I’m doing something a little bit different with this version today. I wanted to work in some delicious and nutritious hemp hearts (shelled hemp seeds) and thought they would marry well with the sweet and sour lemon-pineapple purée I have put together.
Now, before you get too excited, keep in mind that the edible part of the hemp plant contains only trace amounts of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive chemical in marijuana – so, for good or for bad, you won’t be getting high off this recipe!
That said, hemp seeds are an excellent source of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids, protein and fibre. Two tablespoons of hemp seeds contain about 11 grams of well-balanced, easy-to-digest protein.
The seeds also taste great – when compared to flaxseed and chia (which I use regularly), hemp has a more substantive, chewier texture and nuttier taste that is very appealing in a salad.
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2 ripe avocados
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A handful of lettuce leaves
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1/2 cup orange bell pepper, chopped into small pieces
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4 Tbsp hemp hearts
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1 cup pineapple, chopped (be sure to rinse thoroughly if using canned)
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Juice of 1 lemon
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Notes: I have left the avocados mostly intact for this recipe. If you would like to work in more salad fixings, you can create room by scooping out some of the avocado flesh and reserving it for sandwiches, guacamole or your other favourite use. You can also surround the avocado with more salad fixings once plated, as desired.
The lemon in the purée cuts the sweet taste of the pineapple somewhat and gives it a mild sour flavour that I happen to love but if you prefer, you can diminish the amount of lemon or omit it altogether.
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Serves 4
Slice avocados in half and remove pits. Line avocado cavity with a few pieces of lettuce and then add bell pepper and hemp seeds, dividing fixings among the 4 avocado halves.
For the purée, simply combine ingredients in a small blender and blend until smooth. Drizzle over avocado and enjoy.
njumie <3
I’d be happy with that for lunch or dinner – not just as an appetizer. I’ve never tried hemp seeds before – I’ll definitely have to take a look around for some!
I can picture you sticking your finger into your mom’s avocado for a taste ;). I haven’t tried hemp seeds before, but what a great idea putting them in this salad.
Beautiful! What a lovely hostess your mother was! I love that this is so simple, but so beautiful. I love your adaptation too!
Great idea with the avocado and hemp, Kelly :) Love how summery this dish represents!
Looks delicious, healthy and beautiful too, Kelly, yum! I’ve never tried hemp before – you’ve introduced me to something new, love it!
Hee.hee…. :)
Something like that ;-) thanks Sarah!
Hemp seeds are very delicious and flavourful in light of their small size; they’ll surprise you! ;-)
Thanks Norma – it makes for a fun change.
You could always toss in some chia seeds ;-) Lots of people around for sure…hope you’re having a great weekend Sissi!
I want to go sailing in that boat!
yes, for some reason, your comments go straight to spam (which is where I retrieve them). I’ve tried white listing you, but it doesn’t seem to work…disqus recipients should still get notice of your lovely notes in their email though (that’s how I know you’ve dropped in :)
Off to the soccer field – xo
Kelly,
do my comments go into spam? I am noticing that diqus is not publishing my darn comments?
What are you doing today? Xxx
10 kids?! Thats amazing. And this dish looks incredible. Love the pineapple puree and avocado boat. So pretty!
I’ve never had hemp seeds! But this looks so bright and delicious!
Great idea using the avocado halves as the container. Love the pinaapple puree idea.
Kelly, I checked in my organic shop in France today. They didn’t have hemp seeds, but hemp flour! They have also lowered chia’s price, so maybe I’ll buy it one day.
With 9 brothers and sisters at least you never feel lonely :-)
Hee.hee, thanks Parsley Sage, nice to see you! :)
I too would do spoon to mouth but have to sound more dignified than that in my post – haha! – thanks MJ.
Thanks so much Lisa… I have fun styling food. The hemp works well on salads, soups, cereal and yogurt. Quite yummy!
Y to the Ummy! This is such a cool dish. Your mom was on to something, I’ll tell you. And I totally dig your modern take on it :)
What a simple and tasty little appetizer! I’ve never used hemp seeds and now I’m curious as to how they taste. Your pineapple puree for the dressing sounds perfect for the avocado. I did have to giggle at the idea of reserving any avocado you scoop out for additional salad. The avocado would go directly from the spoon into my mouth! :)
So pretty and colorful. A great presentation, makes you feel like you are eating at a resort/spa! I love hemp, makes a great topping to salads.
Hi City Share – thanks for dropping in. You can find shelled hemp seeds at health food stores and many regular grocery stores in the ‘specialty’ section.
Thanks France – I hope you try the puree – I think you and Joshua would love it.
The pineapple puree rocks, I gotta say, and you could enjoy it with protein mains too… yummy… ;0) Thanks Junia.
Thanks Angie – full of health for sure!
Thanks Leaf ~ so nice to read your kind note… :)
Bonjour Helene et bienvenue chez Inspired Edibles!
In addition to sprinkling hemp on salads, you might also enjoy them with yogurt, cereal or in loaves/muffins/breads.
Please do let me know what you think and thanks again for dropping by! :)
Thanks Caroline!
Thanks for your kind words Sissi – it’s really a simple idea but a fresh way of presenting so it makes a nice change. I’m glad I’m not alone in my avocado addiction… I eat them almost every day ~ like you, working them into salads, etc. Yes, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the 10 kid thing … ;-) (haha).
haha, you could certainly do it! :)
haha, we certainly enjoy it – and there are many ways you can work it in. I’ve been adding it to our morning porridge for the past week… yum!
Thanks so much Natalie ~ welcome to Inspired Edibles.
Yes, I smiled when I saw the reference to vinegar in your post ;-) Hard to beat avocados when it comes to nutrition… great that Miss A enjoys.
Thanks Kay – it’s very flavourful for sure and a nice change too.
mash-up; I like it! Thanks Yummy.
Thanks so much Nava… I aim for simplicity in most things; cheers.
Aww, thanks Mandy!
Thanks for dropping in Suzi and for the pin love too … it does make a nice lunch; I hope you enjoy it if you give it a try :)
Thanks Sally… it does make a fun container; doesn’t it :)
Thanks Eva! Maybe you could buy a handful of shelled hemp seeds at a health food or bulk store without investing too much $ for a larger sealed bag – that way you can decide whether they’re your thing or not…
hee.hee, hemp always gets a ‘rise’ out of people – they either associate it with marijuana or bird seed ;-)
I must admit that I had never heard of cooking with hemp hearts. Where do you find them?
My mom used to serve halved avocados when we had guests over too! The addition of help hearts sounds delightful and I have to say I am swooning over the pineapple pure. I happen to have a bag of avocados calling for me….this will do perfectly.
love the hemp salad stuffed in the avocado. pineapple puree sounds so interesting combined with the avocado!
All that acid with all that fat from the tacos sounds like the perfect combination!
That’s a gourmet salad. Healthy and tasty!
The presentation is glorious! And I’m quite intrigued by the hemp goodness…
Hi!
My mum used to prepare the same appetizer always for guests with a nice strong vinaigrette. back then I used to not enjoy avocado. I should consider making it once again in the near future.
I have been thinking to on how to use hemp seeds in cooking. They are realy healthy as u mentioned above, but there are not many ideas in my mind on how to use them.
Lovely dish with some new little flavoures. I have to try it out! I ll let u know then how we enjoyed it.
thx for sharing!
What a clever, clever idea, Kelly!! Love everything about this recipe–particularly the avocado. ;)
Kelly, I’m once more amazed at so many inspiring ideas in this beautiful dish! I must see if they sell hemp seeds in my organic shop (they have the awfully expensive chia).
I am am a big avocado freak. I’m addicted. I think I have posted only guacamole, but I have avocado several times a week in salads and sandwiches. Your avocado looks gorgeous! Salad in an avocado instead of a salad with avocado :-) Excellent idea! The pineapple purée is such a creative addition too!
I must also try your mum’s recipe. It’s simple (I’m lazy, remember?) and made with delicious products, so it can only be excellent. (10 children??? Wow! It sounds like 48/24 h job!)
–Now,this is a delish, gorgous appetizer.
I might even be able to do this! xx Thanx, Kelly
My Inner Chick http://myinnerchick.com
funny man! someone else referred to bird seed above (Ping) ~ hemp hearts are delish! Give them a try (I hear they’re cheaper if you buy them at the bird store ;-)
What a beautiful dish!!! I have never cooked with hemp before.. but it sounds like something I should get into ASAP :)
“happily the guests never knew” – … until now!
“for good or for bad, you won’t be getting high off this recipe!” – well, that really depends just how much of the stuff I can pack away – wahey! :D
I don’t think I ever tried hemp seeds before – in fact I only ever saw it sold at a pet store as bird-seed (presumably?) – not at all to imply that your dinner is bird-food of course… /sigh, excuse me while I remove my foot from my mouth :p
This looks great Kelly – I’m a big fan of avocado too, and it goes really well with vinegar – I’m curious to what the hemp hearts taste like with it now!
Looks fantastic!!
Mmmmmm. You know we love vinegar too! (At least Miss A and I.) This looks delicious. Miss A also happens to be a huge avocado fan. I should make this for her and I for lunch one of these days we’re home together. :)
Just look at that amazing avocado and the presentation of this dish. I really have to try out this recipe.. it’s packed with flavor
What a creative mash-up of flavors! Great idea!
I will say yes all the way to to healthy and simply smashing simple dish.
You definitely took your moms appetiser to a whole new level. Lovely.
:-) Mandy
I love having memories of tastes/smells that remind me of being little :)
These sound awesome. I totally don’t buy avocados often enough. I think they’re going on my grocery list tonight!
This salad is beautiful. I have hemp in the fridge and I do enjoy them . This may be my lunch today. Pinned it
Gorgeous dish! You just gave me some ideas for a recipe, we ADORE avocado, and I never thought of using half an avocado as a “container” for goodies… genius!
Loved the photo too…
I too am a vinegar lover, Kelly, this recipe sounds wonderful. The creamy taste and texture of the avocado would balance the sour notes of the vinegar and the lemon juice very nicely and the peppers would add some nice texture. Disappointed about your disclaimer, though ;-)
I am a little hesitant with the hemp hearts…I find hemp generally has a woody smell that I am not fond of, but am curious on the nutty taste. My mom used to make an appetizer similar to this but she would fill the avocado with salad shrimp (not the canned kind!) Very pretty presentation.
haha, when I first met my husband (the quintessential meat & potatoes fellow), he told me that he wasn’t a rabbit and therefore did not need to eat salad ;-) – I just quietly persisted and can tell you that our diet has changed radically over the past 20 years together…
Lovely! Great recipe for someone who is GF & allergic to multiple sugars & all starch. Thank you:)
That looks like it came from some fancy restaurant. Beautiful presentation!
Hemp hearts? That’s new to me. Perhaps that’s because I hardly browse the health food aisles and that, I would assume, be in that category. I still haven’t had quinoa, chia and the likes. Hubby being the meat and potatoes man would never go for what he calls “bird food”. :D I do love avocados tho and would really like to try out these so called ‘bird food” when I get the chance. I’m keeping this one for that day.
Awww… I was so excited about the hemp. LOL! ;)
This is a gorgeous dish, and I love the pineapple puree idea. That would be good on a spicy tofu too!