Even if you’re sloppin’ through the snow up North, you can bring a little West Coast sunshine to the dinner table with my Orange-Pecan Quinoa Stuffed Avocados. The vibrant colors and vitamin-packed goodness is just what you need to put a little spring in your step until Spring!
Read on to get all the deets on this easy stuffed avocado recipe:
If you have some worry that eating an entire half an avocado is “too much, “toss that needless stress out with the seed and peel. While one-fifth of this green, creamy fruit is the “official” serving size, dieticians say most of us actually each about one-half of a medium avocado at a sitting, and confirm that’s a reasonable amount with just 113 calories and desirable heart-healthy fats and loads of dietary fiber, yet not too many carbohydrates. Plus, avocados boast the most protein and lowest sugar content of any fruit. All this is great news for people on keto, paleo, diabetic and other low-carb diets. Stuffed avocados for the win!
Since it’s citrus season, I’ve been incorporating fruits like lemons, limes, tangerines, grapefruit and oranges into my recipes. Juicy, sweet oranges seemed like a natural complement to the rich, creaminess of avocado. So, I added chopped oranges, pecans dressed to quinoa all dressed in a light citrus vinaigrette – it’s a yummy quinoa salad on its own and ahhh-mazing piled in the slightly scooped out centers of lengthwise sliced avocados.
I originally made this quinoa stuffed avocado recipe for my friends at Litehouse Foods and I used their Guacamole Herb Blend to season the dressing conveniently. If you can’t find this freeze-dried herb product (usually in the produce section but sometimes dried herb aisle), I’ve included swaps.
Hope you enjoy this easy stuffed avocado recipe! The orange-pecan quinoa salad part of the stuffed avocado recipe can be meal prepped ahead and kept in the fridge. When ready to eat, split open avocados and fill up the centers. But, if you’ve made the entire batch and end up with leftovers, just rub lemon juice on exposed avocado flesh and keep chilled in an air-tight container.
I have other stuffed avocado recipes, my Grilled Avocado Boats with Blistered Tomatoes is another favorite!
Do you have a favorite stuffed avocado recipe or citrus quinoa recipe? How much of an avo do YOU eat at once, the quote-unquote serving size of a puny 1/5th or half, or the whole — or mashed up so you don’t know – haha. Drop a comment, I’d love to chat – XOXO, Jennifer
A vibrant and vitamin-packed salad or side dish to enjoy during citrus season!
- 1 medium orange
- ½ cup cooked quinoa from convenience “ready” pouch*
- 2 green onion stalks whites and greens chopped
- 1- ounce raw pecans about 20 halves, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Guacamole Herb Blend from Litehouse**
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 2 medium avocados
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Peel and seed orange, also removing any tougher membranes. Chop into small pieces, reserving any juice extruded for use in dressing.
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In medium bowl, add chopped orange, cooked quinoa, chopped green onions, and chopped pecans.
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In small bowl, add juice run off from orange (or use fresh orange juice if not enough), apple cider vinegar, olive oil and Guacamole Herb Blend** (or see swap in notes). Whisk together with fork and pour over salad, stir until well coated.
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Slice avocados lengthwise and remove seed. Fill centers, overflowing a bit, with the prepared quinoa orange salad.
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*Used a packaged, prepared quinoa to save time but you may make your own quinoa.
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*substitute ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon dried cumin, 1 teaspoon dried parsley
*Note -- can vary based on size of avocados
Looks delicious! Do you know the carb count for half of a loaded avo?
I just updated the recipe with the nutrition facts — 15 g carb