In Israel and well all over the western east, avocado season has arrived. Plump, green avocados are grown from the north of Israel down to Jaffa in the center, all the way to agricultural communities in the southern Negev, such as Neot Semadar.

It is both a local favorite and a major national export. In 2010 the pear-shaped green fruit’s sales reached  one-third of all the fruit sold in Europe, according to a Wall Street Journal article dedicated to Israeli produce exporters Agrexco.

Here’s a seasonal recipe for springtime in Israel, a guacamole that tastes like California:

Best guacamole recipe

One ripe avocado

Garlic salt (we like a lot, but you don’t have to overdo it.) Or fresh garlic, even better

Pepper

A dash of salt

Paprika

Some mayo for creaminess

Lemon juice

Chunks of white onion and tomato

A spoon or two of salsa if you want to add a spicy kick

Enjoy your guacamole!

Read more about fresh produce in Israel:

Neot Semadar: An Eco Village in the Southern Negev

March Produce in the Middle East

Do Jaffa Oranges With Carbon Label Make Them Green Oranges from the Garden of Eden?

The post California Guacamole recipe appeared first on Green Prophet.

Luscious fresh figs linger in our summer markets. Enjoy these simple ways of eating them while they last.

Figs are fruit so evocative of summer that just looking at a picture of them brings back vacation time – or just a summertime kitchen with the sun streaming through the window. Figs, with their mildly honeyed flavor, are one such fruit. Tomatoes, of course, another: see our Syrian tomato salad and our seasoned, slow-roasted tomatoes.

It’s so easy to dress a dish with fresh figs.

Here are five different ways.

1. Try a salad of two or three kinds of lettuce with chunks of feta and quartered fresh figs. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the salad and toss lightly.

The sweet figs will set off the cheese’s saltiness and the mild acidity of the vinegar, making a perfect, and perfectly easy salad.

2. Grilled Figs Stuffed with Feta Cheese

Make a cut about half-way through the side of each fig. Stuff with feta cheese. Brush the figs with a mixture of dark honey and oil. Grill about 10 minutes.

Drink a rosé wine with this.

3. Add sliced figs to your breakfast cereal. Yup.

4. Poach figs in a hot syrup of 50% red wine and 50% sugar.

Simmer for 20 minutes on low heat, turning over once. Serve cold with whipped cream.

5. Make a fresh fig sauce to accompany organic roast chicken or other poultry: blend 1 cup quartered figs with 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Add a little salt and black pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

More figgy adventures on Green Prophet:

• Figs with Arak and Cream
• Freekah, Feta and Fig Salad

The post 5 fresh fig recipes for summer snacking, Middle East style appeared first on Green Prophet.