Crescent Moon Avocado with Miso Tahini Dressing, Pepitas and Nori

We eat with our eyes. When food looks beautiful, we take our time with it. Instead of scarfing it down, we pause for a moment to take it all in, observing it’s color, shapes and textures before diving in.

By becoming more present with our food and savoring each and every bite, we enhance our digestion and prevent overeating because we are mindful in the meal.

An easy way to prevent overeating and unconscious eating is simply to design your food to be a work of art, which is exactly what I did with this avocado.

Before beginning Matthew Kenney Culinary School, I would often get lazy in preparing my meals. Most of my meals were consumed while standing up in the kitchen and preparing other food, or in front of my laptop doing work. Now I have realized the importance of preparing a meal you are proud of and eating it in absolute mindfulness to enjoy it to the fullest. To learn more about my experience at Matthew Kenney Culinary School and get a 20% off discount, check out my free webinar here.

An avocado is a staple in my diet. Rich in healthy fats and a whole food, I love putting avocado in just about anything, from my salad dressings to wrapping it up in nori. I love this Whole Avocado dish because it takes a simple avocado and makes it into something beautiful. Paired with a delectable miso tahini sauce, pepitas, radish and nori, this easy yet stunning meal has the perfect combination of the sour, salty, bitter and fat tastes.

There are many ways to plate the Whole Avocado dish but the way that came through to me was to make it into a crescent moon. I am really drawn towards creating sacred shapes and celebratory features in my plating presentations. I find myself starting with something avant-garde like the plating examples we are taught but always end up coming back to something super sacred, divine and feminine, like this moon.

The key to this recipe is the sauce. It combines miso, tahini, lemon and vinegar (some of my favorite flavors) that gives it a very detoxifying taste. The saltiness of the miso and the acidity of the lemon and vinegar really balances the fat of the tahini and avocado. You could make a big batch of this sauce and let it sit in your fridge for a few days and add it to your veggies for a quick, easy meal.

This is also the perfect recipe to impress your friends because it looks like it was served at a 3-star Michelin restaurant, but literally is just an avocado, some pumpkin seeds and a simple sauce. It goes to show that culinary arts is ALL about presentation and you can take the same veggies and sauce you would toss in your salad and make it into truly a work of art. It’s all about the experience you create.

Share with a friend who would love this recipe and add it to your Pinterest board!

Be sure to check out some more of Sahara's tasty vegan bites at Eat Feel Fresh!!

Happy Crescent (Avocado) Moon <3