Return to Israel

Elie and I got home a few weeks ago from another trip to Israel, which looks like is going to be an annual adventure.  I love it there.  This year, we took my Mom, Carolyn, who also immediately fell in love with the country, the people, the history, the religious significance.  And of course, you can’t help but fall in love with the food. 

After last year’s trip to Israel, I gave a cooking class at Ciao Thyme, sharing some of my favorite Israeli recipes.  At the beginning of the class, I asked if anyone had been to Israel.  One gentleman raised his hand and said, “I traveled to Israel this year.  I took the blog post you wrote about your last trip, and I went to all the restaurants you recommended.”

Wow! 

So, I thought I’d share a few of the restaurants and sites we discovered on this trip.  Visit here or here for more suggestions.

We spent the first week in Tel Aviv, staying in the Nina Café Suites Hotel, a boutique hotel in my favorite neighborhood, Neve Tzedek.  The quaint, winding streets are lined with small boutiques and cafes, our favorite being Café Dallal, where we went for coffee most mornings.  They happen to have the absolute best ruggelach ever.  And darn good chocolate chip cookies.

 

sign to Cafe Dallal

best ruggelach

None of us could shake the jet lag on this trip, waking between four and five am each morning, the only advantage being we usually got up for an early morning walk on the beach.  I’m sure most people don’t associate Israel with beaches, but Tel Aviv was built from the dessert, on the sands of the Mediterranean Sea.  You can hear all about the fascinating origin of the city at Independence Hall Museum. It only takes about 30 minutes, and can be a good respite from the heat. Make sure to call ahead for times and availability.

The award for best coffee of the trip belongs to Café Sonia Getzel Shapira (also mentioned in my last post for shakshuka—still a good recommendation).   

People born in Israel are referred to as sabras, referring to the cactus fruit that is prickly on the outside, but sweet on the inside.  It’s certainly true, especially when they’re driving any sort of motorized vehicles.  Don’t drive unless you have nerves of steel.  But, Israelis exude a spirit of genuine hospitality and warmth under the sometimes brusque exterior.  And they love to share their love for their country. 

On a tip from a stranger who overheard us looking for a spot for a light lunch, we found the vegetarian-friendly cafe, Meshek Barzilay.  We liked it so much, we went twice, enjoying simple, fresh salads in the lovely outdoor courtyard.

 

lunch at Meshek Barzilay

From Tel Aviv, we took a colorful one hour cab ride to Jerusalem, where we stayed in an apartment rental on Agripas.  The living room window, aside from having a beautiful view toward the Old City, also happened to overlook the courtyard of the home Elie’s grandparents lived in, the home where his Mom grew up.  Elie and his family used to visit every other year, and he had grown up playing in the yard.

 

morning prayer, overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem

Elie’s saba—grandfather—was a butcher in the town’s market, called a shuk.  No trip to Jerusalem is complete without a visit to the Mahane Yehuda Market and the restaurant that honors the market, Machneyuda.  Elie and I had such a fun meal on our last trip, we wanted Mom to have the same experience.  We weren’t disappointed.  The food was even better than the first time, and the raucous environment makes it impossible not to dance in your seat.

beets and squash, stuffed with lamb & a fresh tomato salad in the back

Persian Lamb Stew

By the same owners of Machneyuda, restaurant Mona has a completely different atmosphere—more serene—and a less inventive, but delicious menu.        

I had read that Yotam Ottolenghi—one of my favorite cookbook authors, and a native of Jerusalem—recommended the traditional Middle Eastern lunch spot, Azura, in the Iraqi section of the shuk.  Don’t be put off by a long line out front—it moves quickly.  Azura is known for its kubeh—a vegetable stew with dumplings stuffed with ground meat.

hummus, kubeh and meatball (in back)

Kubeh pairs well with a Gold Star.

Gold Star, Israeli beer

Of course, some of the best meals you can have in Israel are in people’s homes.  Shabbat dinner with Elie’s family featured his Doda Suzie’s bourekas.  On our next visit to Israel, I’m arriving for dinner earlier, so I can learn the recipe.  Stay tuned. 

Shabbat Dinner

Most of our time in Jerusalem was dedicated to visiting the Christian sites in and around the Old City, including a breathtaking panoramic view from the Mount of Olives and the quiet reverence of the Garden of Gethsemane.

 

view from the Mount of Olives



Garden of Gethsemane

While in Jerusalem, we took a day trip to scale Masada and then soak in the healing waters of the Dead Sea.

I think Mom’s favorite moment of the trip was reaching the top of Masada, after climbing the snake path in almost 100 degree heat.

walking up the Snake Path, to the top of Masada

at the top!

We visited the Dead Sea at Ein Gedi Spa Beach, although I would take the description of spa lightly.  Although the facility does offer massages and fish pedicures, the building resembles more of a water park than a luxury spa.  Don’t be put off, however.  A short train ride down to the beach and you can scoop mud from the banks to coat your body in a mud mask and then float in the salty water.  Definitely a check on the life list.

floating, pre-mud bath

We spent our last few days in Israel in the Galilee.  On the way north from Jerusalem, we took a detour toward Moshav Yodfat to visit Goats with the Winds Farm, an organic goat farm that serves a beautiful lunch featuring well-crafted yogurt and fresh and aged cheeses, homemade wine and other foods from the farm.  It was an adventure getting there.  After a dozen u-turns over washed out roads and as many phone calls to the owner, Daliah, we finally found the farm.  Hint:  it’s through the WE ARE FREE sign featuring the Jamaican flag colors. 

It was worth the hassle. 

Lunch at Goats with the Winds rivals any fine dining restaurant—except you’re seated on Turkish carpets under a canopy of trees overlooking the valley below.  Spectacular.   And delicious.



lunch begins with homemade bread and lavender-scented labneh

salads

the dining room

You can also play with the kids.

Be sure to call in advance and make reservations.  I noticed they updated their website with directions since our visit. 

In the Galilee, we stayed at the charming, old world hotel and spa, Mizpe Hayamim.  Perched near Rosh Pina, high in the hills overlooking a spectacular view of the Sea of Galilee, the hotel has an organic farm and gardens, perfect for quietly wandering before parking yourself in a deck chair on the balcony for a nap.

garden path at Mizpe Hayamim

I’ve never met a buffet I liked—until Mizpe Hayamim.  The breakfast and dinner buffets are nothing short of amazing, featuring products grown and produced on the farm.  The cows on the farm are milked first thing in the morning, providing milk for breakfast.  All the cheeses—probably a dozen varieties—are made from their own cow and goat milk.  It’s quite remarkable.

a selection of fresh cheeses, fresh from the farm

a few of at least a dozen salads

Only a short drive from Rosh Pina, the Mount of Beatitudes is one of my favorite places in Israel.  While many sites from the New Testament have been ornately enshrined over the centuries, the Mount of Beatitudes remains tranquil, a place where you can hear the wind.  Mom and I sat in the garden, and read Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, one of my favorite moments of the trip.  We walked through the grounds, singing old hymns and reflecting.

Mount of Beatitudes

We also walked a piece of the Jesus Trail, a 65 kilometer trail from Capernaum to Nazareth, tracing important sites from the life of Jesus.  We hiked an extension of the trail, winding north from Capernaum and hugging the banks of the Sea of Galilee.

Map of the Jesus Trail, carved on a stone

On our last day in the Galilee, I met with a Druze woman in her home in the village of Maghar to learn to cook authentic foods of the Galilee.  Pnina did not speak English, but her warmth and humor needed no translation, as we cooked for over three hours in her kitchen, making traditional dishes she serves to her own family. 

Mom and Elie dropped me off at Pnina’s house, and I cooked while they went to explore the village of Safed (Sfat).  They returned to have lunch with us, a feast of kebabs cooked in tahini, lentils, stuffed grape leaves and stuffed courgettes (a type of zucchini) cooked in goat yogurt, tomato salad and Elie’s favorite—little yeasted pancakes filled with sweet cheese or walnuts and cinnamon that are fried and then dipped in a simple syrup scented with rose water and lemon.  It’s one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten.       

stuffing courgettes

stuffed grape leaves and courgettes



Elie's favorite dessert



family lunch

Pnina, sharing her family photo album

The most amazing part of cooking with Pnina was to experience how she lives, close to her land and in close community with the people in her village.  We cooked with olive oil pressed from pungent green olives from trees she inherited from her parents. The chicken in the kebabs came from her backyard.  She made the goat yogurt and cheese with milk from a neighbor’s goat.  In her cellar, Pnina had shelves of ingredients she had bottled or prepared—za’atar from herbs she had grown and dried, freekeh from wheat she had dried on her roof, bottles of olive oil from her own grove.  We brought home olive oil—secured in plastic Fanta bottles—along with large containers of olives and the fragrant za’atar.

Pnina's za'atar

Pnina's freekeh

I found the experience with Pnina through Galileat, a company that sets up culinary experiences in the Galilee.  Paul Nirens, the owner, met me at Pnina’s and was available to translate. 

It was amazing.  Perhaps if everyone cooked together like that--sharing stories and meals together, despite differences in language, religion and culture--we might achieve peace through food.

The whole trip was amazing, actually, exploring, eating and walking under endless sunny blue skies.  For Mom and me, connecting to our faith.  For Elie, connecting to his mother’s country.  For all of us, spending time with people we love.

 

 

The Dietitian Is In! Whole Food Supplements

When we meet someone for the first time and share what we do, it often seems to open the gateway to a game of 20 questions. “What do you think about the Paleo diet?” “It’s a good thing to give up gluten, right?” “Is a banana bad for me?” “So, do you always eat healthy?” When we’re asked these kinds of questions, we’re happy to answer them. We feel grateful that people feel comfortable enough to ask. Here's a recent question we were asked...and here's the answer!

Question: Are “whole food” supplements better than regular supplements?

Answer: There’s little argument that a healthy, well rounded diet is superior to a poor diet with dietary supplements filling in the gaps. Regardless, the supplement industry is booming, raking in over 28 million dollars in 2010 alone. While research indicates that isolated nutrients, such as vitamin C and B12, may help prevent deficiencies like scurvy and anemia, evidence that supplements offer the same health benefits as real food is lacking. In response to our growing appreciation for the health benefits found in whole food, some supplement manufacturers are marketing “whole food” supplements, derived from whole foods, such as vegetable juice powder and pulp from carrots, beets, kale, broccoli, and other fruits and vegetables. Though it may seem like these supplements provide nutrients closer to the way nature intended, there’s little evidence backing up their benefits over conventional supplements. Consolidating all the benefits of plants, from vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemials, into a single pill—no matter its source—is highly unlikely. And whole food supplements are costlier than regular supplements; about 90 cents to $1.00 per dose vs. 10 – 20 cents per dose, respectively.

This Q &A was written by McKenzie for the "Ask the Expert" section in the April 2013 issue of Environmental Nutrition.

Summertime Bucket List 2013

Last year, I created a Summertime Bucket List because:

1.      I’m completely in love with this time of year.

2.      I completely love making lists.

This summer is packed with plans and I couldn’t be any more excited for the all that’s in store over the next few months.

Here are some of the fun things I’m dreaming up for Summer 2013.

1.      Attend an outdoor concert.

2.      Go camping along the coast for a weekend.

3.      Attend the Artisan Markets at Williams Sonoma in Pasadena & Santa Monica.

4.      Host LUNA’s Feed Your Strength at Work nutrition consultations with Lisa.

5.      Hike to the Punch Bowls in Santa Paula (and avoid getting lost for hours this time).

6.      Take full advantage of my membership at Descanso Gardens.

7.      Make these for Sunday brunch.

8.      Cook with a vegetable I’ve never tried before.

9.      Go white water rafting – and stay in my raft!

 

10.  Pack a picnic for a Dodger’s Game.

11.  Celebrate my beautiful best friend, Lisa and the man of her dreams on their wedding day – and attempt to say my speech with bawling my eyes out.

 

 

 

What do you have in store for your summer months? We’d love to hear your summertime bucket list.

Top 5 Nutrition Myths

The following diet myth-busters are based on LUNA’s Debunking the Diet video series.  It you haven’t seen it, you should check it out here.    

Full disclaimer:  We work with LUNA.  But, we loved them even before they hired us to be a part of their nutrition team.

Myth #1:         Eating fat makes you fat.

The Truth:      Your body needs fat!  Fats are necessary to help our bodies absorb fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K), and are building-blocks for every cell in our body, even helping us have glowing skin and healthy hair.  Fat is also satiating!  When we eat fat, it sends a signal to our brain that says, “I’m full.  I’m satisfied.”  Eating a little fat with our meals can actually help us eat less, overall.  And even better, fat tastes good!  Some fats are better than others, like avocados, extra virgin olive oil, and nuts and seeds.  But, it’s all about balance.  So, don’t be afraid of buttering your toast.  When you’re eating foods higher in fat, just choose smaller portion sizes. 

Myth #2:         Eating carbs makes you fat.

The Truth:      Your body needs carbs!  In the body, carbohydrates are converted directly to glucose, which is the best form of fuel for your body and the only fuel used by your brain.  Your brain alone needs about 500 - 600 calories of glucose daily to function.  Anytime we give up a whole food group, we’re likely to crave it and overeat in the long run.  Balance is key.  Most of the time, choose whole, intact carbohydrates, like whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables.  These are high in fiber, filled with phytonutrients, and satisfying!

Myth #3:         Snacking makes you fat.

The Truth:      Smart snacking is good for us!  Eating regularly throughout the day ensures you don’t get too hungry, tired, or cranky before your next meal.  Snacking actually helps prevent us from overeating later in the day.  Just think of them as many meals, with the same combination of protein, fat, carbohydrates and fiber.  Also, take the time to enjoy your snacks!  Give yourself a few minutes to sit and savor what you’re eating.  Your body—and your soul—will think you!

Myth #4:         Fasting is the best way to lose weight.

The Truth:      Dieting—especially fasting, or skipping meals—is stressful and tends to raise cortisol levels contributing to higher rate of weight regain, depression, and upper body obesity.  Instead of fasting, eat small portions of healthy foods regularly throughout the day.  The best eating plan is to eat frequent small meals and snacks with a little protein, fat, carbohydrate and fiber, to give you energy and keep you satisfied from morning ‘til night!   

Myth #4:         Eating after 8 p.m. makes you gain weight.

The Truth:      Your body doesn’t care what time it is.  If you’re really listening to your body, and learning to understand when you’re really hungry—or when you’re just bored, tired, angry, happy, or some other emotions—then when to eat will take care of itself.  What’s important is the total number of calories that we take in over the course of the day.  Our bodies don’t care if we eat at 6 pm or 10 pm, as long as the total calories we take in doesn’t exceed our needs.  So, calories count, the clock doesn’t.  So, really what we should be focusing on is practicing moderation, not deprivation.  If you have a late dinner, that’s totally fine.  And if you need a snack before bed, that’s fine, too.  Stop watching the clock, and eat when you’re hungry.

The Dietitian Is In! Tea Seed Oil

When we meet someone for the first time and share what we do, it often seems to open the gateway to a game of 20 questions. “What do you think about the Paleo diet?” “It’s a good thing to give up gluten, right?” “Is a banana bad for me?” “So, do you always eat healthy?” When we’re asked these kinds of questions, we’re happy to answer them. We feel grateful that people feel comfortable enough to ask. Here's a recent question we were asked...and here's the answer!

Question: I saw tea seed oil in a natural food store; is it a healthy fat?

Answer: Tea seed oil is an edible, cold-pressed oil derived from the seeds of the Camellia oleifera, a shrub native to China. The oil is used extensively in China for cooking, as its high smoke point of 485ºF and stability make it ideal for cooking seafood, poultry, meat or vegetables. Tea seed oil is also a popular base for marinades, dips, dressings and sauces. Tea seed oil is rich in healthy monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fat—52 percent and 23 percent, respectively. In the Western world, this oil is gaining more attention for its speculated antioxidant properties. Preliminary studies indeed indicate that the compounds in tea seed oil exhibit activity that may help protect against diseases caused by free radicals and oxidative damage, such as cancer and heart disease. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to incorporate a little tea seed oil into your diet, especially if a recipe calls for high temp cooking. But keep in mind that tea seed oil is not as readily available on this side of the globe. You might be better off using extra virgin olive oil as your first choice of oils. As with any oil, tea seed oil calories—at 120 per tablespoon—can add up quickly.

This Q &A was written by McKenzie for the "Ask the Expert" section in the March 2013 issue of Environmental Nutrition.

A Guide to Mindful Eating

McKenzie and I are on a mission to debunk diet myths and make eating simple.

As a society, we’ve made food and nutrition so complicated, with confusing mixed messages about what to eat, when to eat and how much to eat.  On top of that, food and eating are intricately entwined with emotions and mood, hormones and body chemistry, and celebrations and traditions.  Many of us obsess about food, thinking about it all the time.  Others avoid food altogether. 

How do we learn to make peace with food and our bodies, to learn how to nourish ourselves? We can start by practicing mindful eating, learning to listen to our bodies, honor our cravings and develop healthy habits for our body and soul. 

Here are a few strategies for letting go of the madness and giving ourself permission to nourish ourselves.   

 

Pause, Breath and Learn to Listen to Your Body

Before eating, pause and take a deep breath to connect yourself to your body and the present moment. Notice how you are feeling.  Listen to your body signals.  How hungry are you?  How do you feel?  Are you eating because you’re hungry, or because you’re tired, bored, angry, happy or celebratory?  As you eat, pause between bites to notice how you feel.  Are you still hungry? Have you had enough food? Are you satisfied? Those questions might have different answers.  Pause to consider.  After you’re eaten, notice how your body feels.  Still empty?  Just right? Uncomfortably full?  Again, pause and take a deep breath.  Connecting to your body, your body sensations and your feelings takes practice. A lot of practice.  But if you pause, breath and listen each time you eat, you will learn to listen to and understand your body, and your own hunger and fullness.    

 

Forget the Clean Plate Club

Growing up, many of us learned to finish everything on our plate, regardless of whether we wanted more food or not.  While none of us wants to waste food, we do ourselves and our body an injustice by eating more that we want or need.  If you’re at home, learn to serve yourself smaller portions to start, knowing you can always go back and get more.  When eating out, ask for a box to take the leftovers home. 

 

Food does not Equal Morality

“I was bad this weekend.”  “This is my guilty pleasure.”  “This is sinfully delicious.”  “I was good, and only ate a banana all day today.”  How often do you hear these phrases—or ones like them—coming from your lips?  Food and eating do not equal morality.  Banish these words from your food dictionary—guilty (and its opposite—guilt-free), decadent, sinful—and any other words that equate morality with eating.  Eating dessert—or not eating dessert—does not make you a good person or a bad person.  Food nourishes us.  We have to learn how to ignore unreasonable rules about good and bad foods, to learn how to accept our hunger and cravings for what they are, and to learn how to honor them.

 

Food Should be Pleasurable

Discover—or rediscover—the pleasure of eating good food, food that tastes good and makes us smile.  Finding pleasure in food is one of the keys to learning to eat just the right amount.  When you savor each bite, relishing in how the food tastes and makes you feel, it takes a lot less to satisfy your body and your taste buds.  Food is supposed to be enjoyed and savored—not feared.  If you have a food craving, allow yourself a single serving of something you really enjoy.  And do so with abundant thankfulness for the utter sensory pleasure and sense of well-being we receive from food. 

 

 

DIET is a Four-Letter Word!

Every year, around 45 million Americans go on a diet, spending a total of $33 billion dollars on weight loss products.  And yet, two-thirds of our country struggles with overweight or obesity and weight-related illnesses like diabetes and heart disease.  Diets don’t work.  While many people do, in fact, lose weight on fad diets, research shows they usually gain it back within a short period of time.  Why don’t diets work?  Diets tend to categorize certain foods as bad, wrong, or off-limits, and they don’t help you to develop a positive, loving relationship with food. This sets you up for failure or guilt. When you’re able to allow all foods into your eating world, you are finally able to relieve yourself of unconscious feelings of deprivation which can often lead to subsequent overeating.  How many times have you broken your diet and thought “I blew it anyways, so I might as well have more…”? If you allow yourself to enjoy favorite foods mindfully, you’ll be less likely to over-indulge in the long run.  Allow all foods in your life, in moderation.

 

 

Manage Stress in Healthy Ways (other than eating)

Listen to music.  Laugh.  Take a bubble bath after the kids have gone to bed.  Play with your pet.  Go on a walk.  Pick fresh flowers.  Write in a journal.  Punch a pillow.  Scream at the top of your lungs.  Call a friend.  Read a book.  Rent a movie.  Clean out your closet.  Paint.  Have a dance party in your room.  Work on a jigsaw puzzle.  Take a nap.  Breath.

 

 

Forget About the Numbers

Instead of getting hung up on a food’s nutrition content—things like grams of sugar, fat and fiber—focus just on eating real foods.  There’s no need to add more work to your already-busy day by asking you to bring a calculator to the dinner table.  Research shows we're bad at counting anyway, underestimating how much we eat by 20 - 40 percent.  When you focus on eating real foods—in reasonable portions—the nutrition takes care of itself.  In addition, don’t get stuck on a number on the scale, or the size of your pants.  Instead, focus on being the healthiest, most vibrant and active version of you.

 

Practice Self-Compassion

There are going to be some days when you eat too much and some days when you eat too little.  Or exercise too much, or too little.  That’s okay.  It’s part of being human.  It’s part of life.  Remind yourself that you are absolutely a perfectly imperfect version of you.  To help you practice self-compassion, develop a positive affirmation about nourishing and loving your body, and repeat it to yourself each day.  Put it on your refrigerator.  Write it one your mirror.  Make it your screen saver.  Add it to your prayer book.  Giver yourself the gift of a postive daily affirmation:  You are worth it.       

 

 

Sugars: Natural vs Added

Not all sugars are created equal. During my most recent visit to SCV Today, I spoke to co-hosts, Tami and Dave about the very topic.

You see, naturally occurring sugars are those sugars that are found naturally in foods, such as in the form of fructose (found in fruit) or lactose (found in dairy products). Essentially, sugar is energy – providing fuel for our buzzing brains and active bodies. When our blood sugar drops too low, we can often experience headaches, irritability, brain fog, or grouchiness. Real food carbohydrates, such as whole grains, fruit, dairy products and starchy vegetables contain the naturally occurring sugars that easily convert to glucose as our body’s preferred source of fuel.

On the flip side of naturally occurring sugars are added sugars – those that are added to food and beverage products during processing and production. And while Lisa and I are all for allowing yourself to enjoy a chocolate chip cookie, serving of ice cream, or small slice of carrot cake – all food with added sugar – from time to time, the unfortunate thing is that most of us are getting more added sugar in our diet than we bargained for. While soda, candy, and other sweet treats are the biggest contributors to added sugar in our diets, sugar can also be found in products we wouldn’t typically suspect such as bread, salad dressings, sauces and marinades, some varieties of yogurt, crackers and even nut butters. The average American is in fact consuming double the amount of added sugar recommended for us to eat each day. According to the American Heart Association, we should aim to keep our added sugar allotment to about 25g-35g per day; that translates to approximately 100 -150 calories.

The best way to recognize if foods contain added sugar? Simply look to the ingredients list. If the ingredients contain sugar, corn syrup, molasses, honey, high fructose corn syrup, or other forms listed here  – sugar has been added. And these sugars are not created equal, either! Read here to learn more or take a peek at our latest Be Well Tip featured by  Nature Box to see what sugars we prefer to use.

We recommned that you use these kinds of sweeteners to boost your intake and balance the flavors of nutrient-rich foods. Remember, that a little bit of sugar goes a long way! Try topping a grapefruit with a sprinkle of brown sugar, enjoying low-fat plain Greek yogurt with a drop of honey, or adding a teaspoon of maple syrup to your morning oatmeal.

And now for a recipe (with naturally occurring sugars).

Pomegranate, Orange, and Avocado Salsa

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3 large navel oranges
1 cup pomegranate seeds
2/3 cup raspberries, chopped
1 large avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and cut into ½ inch pieces
2/3cup red onion
1 jalapeno chili, seeds and ribs removed, minced
½ cup chopped cilantro

Instructions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, salt, and pepper until the salt dissolves.
Working with one orange at a time, peel that orange and cut away all the white pith. Repeat with the remaining oranges. Seperate the orange into it's segments. Cut each segment into ½ inch pieces, discard any seeds, and add to the bowl containing the lime juice.

Add the pomegranate seeds, avocado, red onion, jalapeno, raspberries, and cilantro to the bowl. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the ingredients together, being careful to not mash the avocado. 

Taste and adjust the seasoning. 

Transfer to a serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate. Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of our wonderful dietetic intern, Nina Gasow.