Current Obsession: Avocado

My obsession with avocados began a fair few months ago and I still can't get enough of them.

I just love them. They have a subtle flavour and a creamy texture and make lunch time so much more interesting.

My favourite way to eat avocado at the moment is by mashing it up, adding a bit of black pepper and lemon juice to it, and then spreading on toast and topping with bacon or prosciutto and poached eggs.

I think bacon and avocado is a combination made in heaven and this dish makes the perfect weekend brunch.

I also love cutting it up and adding it to salads, such as my Chorizo and Avocado Salad.

Its great mashed up and spread in pitta breads or wraps as an extra filling to sandwiches. It's filled with good fats, fibre and vitamins so you can enjoy it, smugly knowing that it's doing your body some good.

If you've never bought an avocado before it can seem a bit alien so here are some tips I think are useful to know for buying/preparing avocados.

1) Don't waste money on cheap avocados that aren't yet ripe. When faced with a choice between cheap, unripe avocados or more expensive ripe ones, especially as a student, you probably think you're saving money going for the cheap option. In my experience, all of the cheap avocados have ended up going straight from unripe to over-ripe and have been sometimes mouldy when I've cut into them. Personally I don't find it's worth buying cheap ones that I may have to throw out without eating, when I can spend a few more pence on one that's already ripe and ready to eat.

2) To cut, use a sharp knife and slice down the middle of the fruit, making sure you cut through the flesh to the stone all around the outside. Twist the two halves and pull apart, and to remove the stone, use a sharp knife to slip it out. 

3) If you put a bit of lemon juice on one half if you want to save it for the next day, it will prevent it from discolouring. Also I've heard that by keeping the half with the stone in for the next day, the stone will stop the flesh from discolouring, but I haven't found that works for me.

I love them and I'm pretty sure they will be top of my weekly shopping list for many more months. If you haven't tried them, give them a go! You may be missing out on something you really like.

b'nou - Norwich City Centre

b'nou only opened a couple of months ago and its already made an impact. When we were looking on Tripadvisor for places to go we noticed b'nou was fourth and had 19 reviews, all of which were excellent, so we decided to check it out.

The restaurant is quite small and can probably only seat around 30 people (booking is essential!). It has a very homely feel to it and a lovely, relaxed atmosphere.

It all kicks off at 7:30. There are no menus, but a selection of tapas-type dishes that changes each night. One by one, each dish is brought round to all of the tables. Each dish costs £4 and if you decide to have one the hosts stamp a little card so they know how much to charge you at the end. Although they're small little plates, one between 2 or 3 works out well because there's lots to try. When we went, there were 13 savoury dishes and 3 desserts available and between the 4 of us we had 19 dishes. It was great to share lots of really tasty food and be able to try a lot of different things in one meal. Also because there's enough time to eat in between the next dish coming round you don't get too full.

All the food was delicious. Simple combinations executed flawlessly. When we were chatting to one of the owners he said they had lived in Spain for the last 5 years, which shows as the food is clearly influenced by Spanish cooking. He also said that the meat is all free-range, the fish is fresh on that day and the fruit and vegetables are locally sourced. A lot of thought and care has obviously gone into b'nou and it really pays off.

Here's some pictures of some of the dishes we had and the sort of thing to expect if you ever go there.

Smoked mackerel paté.

Chorizo, butterbean and roasted pepper rocket salad.

Baked camembert. 

Paella with chorizo, bacon, cod and prawns.

Chicken drumsticks (I can't remember what they were marinaded in - I think it was lemon and honey).

Tortillas filled with spicy vegetables.

Three types of mushrooms in a creamy sauce (the picture does not do this justice -it was amazing).

Chicken (again I've forgotten the flavour of it) with couscous.

The desserts were incredible.

Lemon and lime panna cotta.

Chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream.

Berry compote with vanilla ice cream.

We had such a lovely evening. The concept of the restaurant made it an interesting and different meal out and if I lived in Norwich I would venture there regularly. The owners were so nice, worked hard to make sure the evening was a success and are clearly passionate about their fairly new restaurant. I have absolutely no negatives about b'nou and I really hope it continues to be as successful as it has been since it opened.

Chorizo and Avocado Salad

On a warm and sunny day there's nothing quite as nice as a bowl of salad for lunch. At the moment I'm a bit obsessed with avocado and have been planning my lunch around what I can have it with. I'm trying not to eat bread so although mashed up avocado spread on toast and topped with prosciutto or chorizo is one my favourite lunch dishes, chopping it up and chucking it in a bowl with some lettuce, veggies and meat is a good substitute.

To make yourself a bowl of Chorizo and Avocado Salad you will need:

Two big handfuls of your favourite lettuce

Half of an avocado

A small handful of chopped bell pepper

4/5 sunblushed or cherry tomatoes

About 5 slices of thinly sliced chorizo

Half a handful of mozzarella

Your favourite salad dressing

Basically, just assemble your ingredients and throw them into a bowl and you're good to go! I like having one handful of lettuce from a bag of mixed leaves and another handful of roughly chopped iceberg lettuce or spinach because I like having a wide variety of textures and flavours in my salads. Until recently I never really like salad dressing but after trying Newman's Own French Dressing I've been converted. It accompanies any salad perfectly as it has a lovely sweet flavour but it's subtle so doesn't overpower the rest of the ingredients.

This is filling and great to enjoy at home or to take on the go. If you have any variations or other suggestions for things to add in please leave a comment below to let me know!