Baked Avocado with Salsa

You will find these stuffed avocados deliciously packed full of flavor. The salsa is enough for two whole avocados. It is also great over grilled chicken or tossed with cooked pasta. The nutritional facts on avocado, tomatoes, and garlic are so incredible that we should definitely be adding more of these foods to our diets. Enjoy!

1 Ripe avocado
1/4 C. bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. basil, chopped
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 C Roasted Garlic Tomato Salsa (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, basil, lemon juice, salt and pepper; set aside.

Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Divide the salsa between the two avocado halves. Top with bread crumb mixture. Place on a small baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Yields: 2

Roasted Garlic Tomato Salsa:
6 medium-size cloves roasted garlic
1 medium-size ripe tomato, cut into medium dice
1 tsp. vinegar
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
3 Tbsp. fresh basil leaves, cut crosswise into thin strips

Peel the garlic carefully to keep the cloves whole. Cut them in half lengthwise. In a bowl, toss the tomato and garlic together. Mix in the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the basil leaves and toss. Taste, if needed add more salt and pepper.

Yields: 1-1/4 cups