 |
| Avocado Raspberry Popsicles |
Disclaimer: I received free samples of California Avocado mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by California Avocado and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.
I grew up in Southern California where Hass avocados are
widely available. My brother used to rent a house that had several avocado
trees on the property and he’d let me
pick as many as I could carry in a large grocery paper bag. What great memories
I have from those days.
There are many reasons to love avocados. I love their taste
and creamy texture. They’re also loaded with “good” monounsaturated fats, the
predominant type of fat found in Mediterranean-style diets. A one-ounce serving,
or 1/5 of a medium avocado provides 3 grams of monounsaturated fat and 0.5
grams of polyunsaturated fat. Contrary to some beliefs, one serving of avocado
is only 50 calories, provides 2 grams of fiber, and has no sodium or
cholesterol.
California avocados are in peak season from March through
September, making them perfect for summer gatherings.
Because avocados provide “healthy” fats, they are a good substitute
for unhealthy saturated fats. So, for instance, try spreading avocado on your
toast or bagel in the morning instead of butter, or use mashed avocado instead
of mayonnaise on your sandwich bread, or dip raw veggies into guacamole instead
of a sour cream-based dip. Although I haven’t yet tried this, I’ve read that avocado can be substituted for butter or
oil in baked good recipes, such as cookies, cakes or muffins. “Though the
result may vary slightly by recipe, you can use a one-to-one substitution of
avocado for butter, however when substituting avocado for oil it may be
necessary to add another liquid to balance the recipe and "thin out"
thicker batters or mixes.”
To me, nothing says summer better than popsicles. Here is a recipe
for cool and creamy Avocado Popsicles. I
don’t have any fancy popsicle molds, so I simply use 5-ounce Dixie cups with a
wooden stick. Foil over the top of the cup helps to hold the sticks upright
while freezing. This recipe takes about 10 minutes to prepare. I love the
combination of raspberries and avocados
in a green salad, so I used those two flavors in this popsicle recipe. It’s so
easy, but looks impressive. One popsicle is only 129 calories and provides a good source of protein, fiber, and vitamin C.
Step one is to blend together one ripe peeled and seeded California Avocado in a blender with honey and an individual container of coconut vanilla nonfat Greek yogurt and pour into cups (or a popsicle mold. Cover with foil, insert wooden stick and freeze for 2 hours.
|
| Step One |
Step two is to blend together fresh or frozen raspberries with an individual container of raspberry nonfat Greek yogurt and then spoon this mixture over the top of the frozen avocado mixture. Top with foil and freeze for 2 hours.
  |
Step Two
|
Here is the complete recipe.
Avocado Raspberry Popsicles
Prep Time:
about 10 minutes
Total Time: 4
hours, 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 ripe Fresh California Avocado, seeded and peeled
1 tablespoon honey
1 5.3-ounce container toasted coconut vanilla nonfat
Greek yogurt
1 5.3-ounce container raspberry or strawberry nonfat
Greek yogurt
1 cup fresh or frozen red raspberries
4 5-ounce paper cups
4 flat wooden sticks
Instructions:
Step One:
Combine avocado, coconut vanilla yogurt, and honey in
blender. Cover and blend until smooth. Divide mixture evenly among paper cups.
Tap cups gently on counter to make avocado mixture even within cups and to eliminate
any air pockets. Cover cups with foil and insert stick into center of each cup.
Freeze for 2 hours or until completely frozen.
Step Two:
When first layer is frozen, remove foil from pops. Combine
strawberry yogurt and raspberries in blender. Cover and blend until smooth. Spoon
mixture into each cup over the frozen avocado layer. Again cover cups with foil
with sticks poking through center. Freeze until completely frozen, about 2
hours.
To eat, peel off paper cups. Enjoy.
Serves: 4
Nutrition
Information per serving:
129 calories, 5 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 3 g monounsaturated
fat, 1 g polyunsaturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 28 mg sodium, 302 mg potassium,
14 g total carbohydrates, 4 g dietary fiber, 9 g total sugars, 9 g protein, 1.2%
DV vitamin A, 18.5% DV vitamin C, 8.7% DV calcium, 2.5% DV iron, 0 % DV vitamin
D, 9.2% DV folate, and 0.04 g omega 3 fatty acids.
Click
here to download and print a copy of this recipe.
Check out these other avocado summer delights.
