First of all, thanks for all the fun comments about the India trip in my last posting. I'll do a post this weekend and answer some of your questions about the trip (and about me). When I started this blog, I thought it would be all about food, but now that I've gotten to know a few of you through your blogs, I can see how fun it is to really get to know the people behind the postings. So, I'll work on doing that this weekend (I'm still so jet-lagged!)...So, onto this avocado smoothie thing....I recently got on an avocado kick, and I was feeling crazy one day so I decided to throw one into my blender to see what would happen. What resulted was a really thick creamy smoothie, almost like an ice cream shake. Since then, I've been playing around trying to make a perfect low calorie avocado smoothie. I haven't quite reached perfection yet, but I thought I'd blog about what I have, and then you could play around with your ideas as well. So, here is my current recipe:
Juliet's Not Yet Perfected Avocado Smoothie (2 servings)
Ingredients
1/2 a small avocado (~60 grams)
1 cup of frozen blueberries *or* 1 small frozen banana
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (my favorite is almond breeze)
2 tablespoons maple syrup (or your own favorite sweetener)
1 teaspoon nutmeg (or to taste)
1/4 cup ice if desired
Directions:
If you are using a banana, make sure you peel it before you freeze it. When ready, combine all the ingredients into a blender and blend. Pour into your favorite smoothie glasses (2 servings) and refrigerate for a few hours. Drink up and enjoy!
What I love about this smoothie is that it is not only tasty, creamy, and different, but it also allows me to combine a few delicious & healthy fruits together into a yummy drink. Here's the scoop on avocados, bananas, and blueberries from several sources that I've read over the years:
Avocados: Avocados contain a fatty acid (good fat, not bad fat) called "oleic acid" which is believed to help lower a person's cholesterol, helping keep one's heart healthy. Some studies have also shown that oleic acid may also protect against breast cancer. Avocados are also a great source of potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure, as well as vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E (an antioxidant that contributes to a healthy circulatory system).
Bananas: Bananas are a great energy source, and are believed to help regulate a person's mood, thereby helping with anxiety, stress, etc. They are also a good natural source of fiber, protein, and potassium which is believed to help cellular growth in addition to helping to control blood pressure. Also full of antioxidants like beta-carotene, bananas help boost our immune systems, protecting our bodies from infections. I personally adore frozen bananas.
Blueberries: Blueberries are full of antioxidants which help protect against infection. They are also known to help keep skin beautiful! I'm on a blueberry kick right now -- I eat them every day. Right now I buy organic frozen blueberries at Whole Foods (black packaging), which I *love* because the blueberries are extremely large but still flavorful.
I hope you enjoy making your own avocado smoothie! If you figure out improvements on the not-yet-perfected recipe, please let me know!
Juliet
This recipe is also being featured in the HomeAway Travel Cookbook.
16 comments:
yay! now i must make a trip to buy some avocado...looks so creamy!!!
avocado has so many nutritious values that I should eat it more often. Unfortunately I don't like how it tastes, but I think putting in a smoothie will be great! thanks for idea!
hey juliet!!
i love the creaminess of avocado. this looks so delicious. i make smoothies all the time, so i'll make this one when i get an avocado at the store. i've been buying the "slimcado." have you seen those? it says they are lower fat and have less calories than regular ones.
as for the popsicles, the Popperz have 68 calories, the Italian Ice has 88 calories, and the Stix have 48 calories. They taste really good for that amount of calories though. they do make sugar-free, but they are sweetened with Splenda, and I try not have eat artificial sweeteners.
http://www.phillyswirl.com/products/stix.cfm
This smoothie DEFINITELY earns a "holy yum" shout-out!!! Although I'd use hempmilk ;-)
I'm a big guacamole fan. I used to think guac was bad for you-too much fat, etc. But now I know there are good fats, and guac has 'em. Thanks for the recipe. I have a juicer at home that's getting rusty and dusty. Time to break it out.
I'm not the only one -- yay! I recently had half of an avocado left over and just threw it in my smoothie -- I loved it!!! I'll have to try your recipe though. It looks great and I love that you used nutmeg.
I know someone else who raves about avocado in smoothies, but I'm always so afraid to throw it in.
fun - definitely something I want to try!
What an interesting idea gal! I would have never thought to put avocado in a smoothie! So creative ;)
Something else to try: Promise fat-free spread. Tastes exactly like butter, no hydrogenated oils, and only 5, FIVE, calories per tablespoon. All the stuff I had given up(buttered toast, waffles, pancakes, mashed potatoes) is back for me.
Avo smoothies work because avocado has a lot of the same properties as eggs. In fact, Alton Brown (my culinary geek hero on the Food Network) even makes this avo "custard" ice cream:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/avocado-ice-cream-recipe/index.html
You can substitute low-fat yoghurt instead of the heavy cream, and it should work as well.
Omg, I am SO glad I found your blog. Where have you been all my life!!! Ahhh! I would kill to have a glass of this smoothie right now.
Thanks for all the great ideas including the promise spread. I will check it out!
For those of you that are hesitant, wait until that day when you have some extra avocado. Put it in your blender and see how it comes out. It is *very* creamy..!
PS... Sweet Tooth: I can't find your blog.. it isn't listed on your profile. :(
Hello everyone! i was so surprised to read this recipe, I am currently living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and people eat a lot of avocados here! The funny thing is, they almost always eat them sweet, like a dessert. Every street corner here has juicebars, and sweet avocado smoothies are very popular! You can get them made with milk, cream or even ice cream. The other day my mexican friend made guacamole, and her host family thought that the idea of eating avocados as a salty food was downright gross! lol.
What an interesting idea gal! I would have never thought to put avocado in a smoothie! So creative ;)
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