"Non-Dairy" Avocado Ice Cream (or "How I Spent My Summer Vacation")

Serving 1: With slivered honey almonds

It has been an interesting summer. I took a break from my dance class to rest my knees, get much needed recovery time, and get a chance to clean up around the house. It really felt I had a vacation, even though I was still working. I loved the extra free time that I had to take walks, window shop and even read! I miss that.

An interesting side effect was I also ended up spending extra time in the kitchen. It is one of my creative outlets, although it is mostly due to the necessity of nourishment. Regardless, it gave me a chance to play with ingredients and be inspired. 

One of these experiments was making my own frozen desserts. I guess it started when I made Avocado “Ice Cream”. I’ve always wanted to make Avocado Ice Cream like my Dad did every summer. Avocado was one of his favorites (and still is) so he would take one or two avocados, mash them and mix them up with condensed milk and put it in the freezer and enjoy it for a week. Dad would be back at the fridge once or twice a day getting avocado ice cream while I had my normal Magnolia Chocolate Marble (Yeah!) or Mocha. Back then, I did not like avocado and preferred chocolate (well, I still do), so Dad enjoyed it all by himself.

Frozen fruit in the (Ninja) Blender

Now, I love avocado. During the season, I may have an avocado or three every week – on toast, tacos, tamales, omelets, you name it. I am a “Californian” anyway, so I think its a law to have avocado (along with Kale). There was a time when I bought mini avocados. My Hubby was wondering why I bought them – but it was the perfect size for one serving.

Back to ice cream… With my making dairy-free banana “ice cream” last year, I was inspired to make a healthier and perhaps dairy free version of my Dad’s summer favorite. I am trying to minimize my dairy and condensed milk has tons of sugar, so that was my motivation. I had a vision of combining avocado with frozen bananas and getting the perfect scoop.

Freezing the avocado was also in my vision because I usually end up with half of an avocado after lunch. That was the other rationale for freezing. I thought freezing it will preserve the lovely green color.

Here’s what I have so far…

Mad Gourmet’s Healthier Dairy-free Avocado “Ice Cream”

Inspired by my childhood summers with Dad
Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 avocado (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 banana (about 1/2 cup)
• (Up to) 1/4 cup of coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp of agave syrup (add more to taste)
• Almond slivers or coconut shavings for toppings.

Directions

1. Peel and cut banana and avocado into one inch slices.
2. Freeze (I usually do this overnight).
3. Put avocado chunks and banana in a blender.
4. Add coconut milk as needed (consistency should be like ice cream not a smoothie)
5. Top with almonds or coconut shavings and enjoy.

Verdict

Serving 2: With Coconut Shavings

I love the combination of avocado and bananas. The bananas provide the creaminess that you usually get with ice cream. The addition of coconut milk adds to the creaminess and makes it closer to the ice cream that Dad loved. It also makes for a delicious but healthy tropical treat.

As blended, it is a yummy dessert, but tricky to make a perfect scoop. It usually has a yogurt-like (or shall I say guacamole?) texture that may be a bit runny for the scooper. I find that putting the mixture in the freezer until it firms up (about 20-30 minutes) does the trick. As I am writing this, I am thinking that a quenelle may be a good alternative presentation.

After that experiment, I became encouraged to make my other frozen treats. (Hmmm... I feel another blog post coming). Think granitas and sorbets... some with summer fruit. I never thought that these would be so easy to make.

So, here’s my summer tribute to Dad. By the way, he loved Durian too… but I don’t think I’ll acquire a taste for that.

Kale in my Smoothie

At one of our recent potlucks, the topic of smoothies came up. A friend of mine mentioned that he tried a kale smoothie and how he did not like it (to put it mildly).  He was attempting to be healthy but it did not end too well. He had an almost green juice with kale, spinach and a bunch of other nice healthy greens, but it did not meet his expectations. Poor thing.

I mentioned to him that I also am not quite ready to make the green juice plunge yet. I know greens are really healthy for me, but I prefer munching on my veggies. I must be part rabbit. However, I do love kale. In addition to that, in spite of my affinity for greens, I feel that I still do not get enough veggies daily. I did find a yummy way to sneak (i.e. hide) it in my smoothie and happily shared secret with him.

Just a brief background, I started switching to smoothies because I wanted a more natural booster in the morning. Also, coffee on an empty stomach is starting to give me some issues and my chai mix can be loaded with sugar. A smoothie seems to be a good alternative. Plus, I get nutrients which I don’t normally get in my cup of java. 

Here’s what I shared with my friend. As far as I know, he has not tried it yet, but I love it. Hope you enjoy!

Mad Gourmet’s Avocado-Banana-Kale Smoothie

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1/2 medium avocado
• 1 banana (sliced, preferably frozen)
• 1 cup of milk (I use almond milk)
• 1 cup of kale
• 1 tsp of honey or agave (if you want it vegan)
• 4 ice cubes
• Chia seeds (optional, for garnish or to add to the blend)

Directions

• Place milk, ice and frozen banana in a blender. Chop. (I have an older blender, so I do this in batches)
• Add kale and avocado and chop.
• Stir until smooth.
• Pour into a glass, garnish with chia seeds. Serve immediately.

Verdict

I love this smoothie in the morning. The almond milk gives me the protein boost, Avocado for the healthy fats, banana for the potassium and other vitamins, and kale for more vitamins and fiber. I can hardly taste the kale but that distinct texture is still there and frankly, the texture contrast makes the smoothie more interesting (although it’s not that smooth).

Half of my serving for later... 'gater!

I have just recently been using local honey to help with my seasonal allergies. I can vouch that this works (for me - look ma, no sneezes). However, if you want to have a truly vegan meal, agave is my choice of sweetener. For an added Omega-3 boost, I would sprinkle some chia seeds on top or blend it with the smoothie.

Sometimes, I would vary the milk and use coconut milk or a blend. This is primarily because I feel a bit guilty about using too much almonds given the drought situation in California. I figure routinely switching my almond milk up helps in its own (little) way. I do love almond milk though.

Also, to minimize my dishwashing and help with the drought, I use my measuring cup as my smoothie bowl. Don't worry, it gets washed in hot water in the dishwasher.

Lastly, I admit that I still like a solid breakfast. Since I am in a rush in the morning, I would have half of my smoothie almost first thing (after my lemon water, which I do have first thing). Around mid-morning, when things more or less settle down, I’ll have a small serving of oatmeal (usually overnight oats) with nuts and fruits or a small (often healthy) muffin. This routine works for me and keeps my energy up in the morning. Added bonus: I have another smoothie for the next day (it also keeps well in the fridge). 

I almost… almost replaced my coffee with this routine. Now, it's my just my occasional afternoon java boost.