Julia Child once said

“If you are afraid of butter, use cream.”

That’s good advice, Julia…if you are 6 feet 2 inches tall.  You have a lot of space to distribute those calories.  And it is true, 1 fluid cup of cream has about half the calories of a fluid cup of butter (yes, I checked, using my calorimeter).  So, Mrs. Child is not leading you astray.

But what if you are scared of cream, too?  Then what do you use?

Avocado.

Ok.  Pick your jaw up off the ground.  We are used to this, people.  Remember the frosting?

Now, let’s review why avocado is better for you than butter:

-Avocado has monosaturated fat.
-Butter has saturated fat.
Saturated fat increases heart disease risk and cholesterol.

-Avocado has fiber.
-Butter has no fiber.
Fiber is our friend.

-Avocado has vitamins!  and antioxidants!
-Butter does not.
Antioxidants keep us young.

So, are you convinced why avocado is better than butter?

But what’s with the comparison?  Why does it matter?  Well…let me present to you

Avocado Breakfast Bread (original source unknown; adapted from here)

Is this sweet and flavorful breakfast good for you?  No. Is it better for you than other breakfast bread varieties?  YES!

For 1 9×5″ loaf or two mini-loaves:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup mashed avocado
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously grease 2 mini loaf pans (or 1 9×5). Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to blend thoroughly. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg and avocado. Stir in the buttermilk. Add to the dry ingredients and blend well. Stir in the walnuts. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes (for the larger, single loaf 50 minutes to 1 hour) or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

I added walnuts to one of the mini loaves (1/4 cup) and preferred this combination over the plain loaf.  But both were delicious and GREAT with coffee.  The next adventure will be adding whole wheat flour to the mix.  Stay tuned.