I’ve made a traditional chocolate pudding before (see link here) but lately I’ve been noticing a lot of non traditional recipes. For example, puddings that are vegan and involve an avocado!!

Please keep reading…LOL .

The best part of this recipe is that it involves FOUR ingredients and requires no cooking. Seriously it could not get easier.  The first time I made it, I didn’t measure anything (typical Vicky move) but the second time around I took the time to measure the ingredients so I could blog about it (hooray).

So here’s what you need:

Chocolate Avocado Pudding (original recipe by momwhoruns however very much inspired by recipes seen on Pinterest).

1 Avocado

1/3 cup of coconut milk

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/4 of a banana

Directions

1. Please all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth. (serves 3).  Thats all you need to do!!

I must admit that I was excited to try this recipe so I could bring out my new Braun MultiQuick 9 Hand Blender. The beauty of this appliance is that it can do everything – blend, chop, whip, and more.

I simply clicked on the attachment that I needed and before I knew it my chocolate pudding was lovely and smooth.

See what I mean? Just 4 ingredients went into the bowl and then the blender attachment did all the work in no time at all.

My avocado chocolate pudding was smooth, creamy and HEALTHY too. #score

For more information about Braun products, please click here. (note: there’s a 20 percent discount and free shipping)

Disclosure: I was provided a Braun MultiQuick 9 Hand Blender, however all opinions are my own

In 1990, I was introduced to the Cheesecake Factory while visiting Washington. Since then, I’ve been to Cheesecake Factory in numerous other cities and I always (I mean ALWAYS) order the same thing: Crispy Avocado Egg Rolls. I just adore the combo of the crispy wrapper and the creamy avocado  inside plus the addictive sauce.

Naturally I was scrolling thru Pinterest and discovered a recipe for these delicious egg rolls. Within no time at all I was making these egg rolls!

Here’s the recipe. (original recipe can be found here – www.savorytooth.com)

Recipe: Avocado Egg Rolls with Sweet Chilli Sauce

Ingredients

10 egg roll wrappers
3 avocados, peeled and pitted
1 roma tomato, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
canola oil, for frying

For the sweet chili sauce:
4 tablespoons sriracha
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1 Add avocados, tomato, salt, and pepper to a mixing bowl. Mash the avocados to a chunky consistency. This will become the egg roll filling. Pretty easy so far, right?

2. Lay out the egg roll wrappers and a small bowl of water. Distribute the egg roll filling among the wrappers, scooping them onto the bottom third of each wrapper. Once again, pretty easy!

3. Taking one wrapper at a time, use a finger to brush water along its four edges. Fold up a corner over the filling, then the sides, and then roll it up. Dab the last fold with more water to seal. Repeat for all other wrappers. (not hard at all)

4.  Add canola oil to a large pot until the oil is about 2 inches deep. Turn the burner to medium heat. When the oil temperature reaches 350 F, add the egg rolls in batches. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel to drain. Slice each egg roll diagonally.

FINAL RESULT:

Now don’t forget to make the sauce! I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make this sauce and how freakin’ delicious it was.

I really need to organize a dinner party soon! These egg rolls would be a hit.

By the way – here’s what I did with the rest of the wonton wrappers. I put them in a muffin pan and baked them at 375 degrees till golden brown. They are now in a sealed container in the (stuffed) freezer and will come in handy as an appetizer. Most likely I will fill them with roasted garlic, tomatoes and basil. However you never know what other ideas I might find on Pinterest!!

Happy Cooking!

Often I head to a farmer’s market and all I want to do is buy veggies and go home and make salads.

Therefore I encourage you this weekend to head out to a Farmers Market to buy some beautiful local veggies so you too can rush home and make a delicious salad too.

Here are a few salads that I made last weekend!

Salad Saturday consisted of sliced zucchini, black olives, goat cheese, and romaine lettuce.

The romaine lettuce that I purchased at the  Wychwood Farmers Market had a huge root at the bottom of it. I swear I never see this root when I go to the supermarket to buy a lettuce.

Salad Sunday consisted of roasted garlic, cherry tomatoes and onions with a salad mix. Then I added some crumbled blue cheese to make the salad interesting!!

I should mention that one night I made another veggie dish that I would make again…..Zucchini Noodles with an Avocado Pesto Dressing. Please click here for the recipe. Notice the little avocado star I made? I was so proud of myself. LOL

I love making salads!

I hate making dressings though. They always take a long time but I know the effort is worth it!

Happy Salad Saturday/Sunday!

I was invited to an event where each guest would receive an Avocado Hand Mask followed by a manicure at Tips Nail Bar. How could I say no? I love manicures and I love Avocados. It was a no brainer. I was SO going to this event. (I’m decisive. Did you know that about me?)

The evening started off with some amazing appetizers featuring Mexican Avocados. Naturally I tried each and every appetizer on this table!

Then I sat down and enjoyed an Avocado Hand Treatment.

Here are the ingredients: 

1/4 fully ripened avocado from Mexico

1 egg white

2 tablespoons rolled oats

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions: In a shallow bowl, mash avocado till smooth. Add egg white, oats and lemon juice.

I loved  the colour  that the Nail Polish Blogger (@everaftrlacquer) beside me selected. How appropriate for the event!!

As you know, I usually hang out with food bloggers but on this particular evening, I had the chance to hang out with lifestyle and beauty bloggers. It was truly a lot of fun.

I think this event was a genius idea. Now I can enjoy Mexican Avocados in my food AND on my skin!! Other applications include using Mexican Avocados as an Enriching Hair Mask, or as a Moisturizing Face Mask.

Many thanks to Tips Nail Bar for hosting such a fabulous evening. Their space, staff and selection of colors and brands, is a a notch above most nail salons. I even took the business card of their designer who made this unique mural!

 

For more information:

Please visit : www.missavacado.ca

Tips Nail Bar: 848 Danforth Ave, 416 405 8477

After eating my way thru New York City  – it was time for me to, um, eat healthier. This means – cut down on eating out and make more salads at home!!

Here’s two of my favorite corn salads.

(original recipe posted on The Pioneer Woman – sadly I cant find the exact link – sorry )

4 ears of corn, cooked

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

2 large avocados (I used only 1)

1 jalapeno, seeded and finally diced (I only used a little)

Dressing:

juice of 1 lime

plenty of cilantro

salt

1 tbsp of vinegar

1 tsp of sugar

Preparation: Boil water in a saucepan. Then add corn. Boil till tender. Rinse. Drain. Then slice off corn from the cobb.

Dice avocado, red onion and jalapeno.

Dressing: Using a food processor, combine the cilantro, vinegar, lime juice, salt and sugar.

Assembly: Add corn to other ingredients. Pour dressing over the corn mixture. Toss. Cover and refrigerate.

END RESULT:

Barley and Corn Salad with Basil Chive Dressing

(original recipe posted on epiciurious)

2 cups water

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup barley

2 cups corn

1/3  cup oil

1/3 cup  fresh basil

3 tablespoons chives

1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp black pepper

Preparation:

Bring a large saucepan to boil – then place the corn in the boiling water till tender. Rinse. Drain. Then cut off kernels from the cobb.

Next, bring 2 cups of water with 1/4 tsp of salt to boil in another large saucepan. Stir in barley, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until barley is tender. About 10-15 minutes

For the Dressing: Pulse in a cusinart – oil, basil, chives, vinegar, sugar and pepper,  and the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt

Assembly: Slice corn of off the ears – transfer to a bowl. Add the barley. Add the dressing. Toss to combine.

END RESULT:

I love salads. Do you?

I can’t remember eating a lot of avocados when I was a kid, but when I was studying at Tel Aviv University, avocados were cheap and delicious so I ate them A LOT. I also noticed that moms were feeding it to their babies everywhere. Apparently, avocados are one of the most easily digestible vegetables out there. Not to mention, it was portable. Moms just walked around with an avacodo in their purse, opened  it up with a plastic knife and started feeding it to their babies with a spoon. No fuss/no muss.

In honor of Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) and because I finished the Sporting Life 10K today – I decided to make an avocado smoothie.

This is what you need: one avocado, 1 1/2 cups milk, 3 tablespoons cane sugar, a few ice cubes. ps. huge thanks to Manotas Organics and Fine Foods for the cane sugar! Instructions; Put all ingredients in a blender. Blend till smooth.

Apparently in the Philippines ,their version of guacamole is a sweet not a savoury. So I tried it.

All you need is: one avocado, 1/4 cup of condensed milk.

Instructions: mash avocado with the condensed milk.

However I have to be honest. It wasnt a hit in our house. We still like it – plain or with a little salt and pepper.

Our favorite recipe for avocado is simply to use it for Taco Nite – which we have once a week. Ola.

For more avocado recipes: visit www.missavacado.com or follow @missavacado on twitter.