Veggies for Dessert

Have I gone overboard?

Is this too much?

I mean, come on. Veggies for dessert? For added irony, I am writing this as I watch the most recent Epic Meal Time upload. It's my new favorite youtube channel. Other than Bad Lip Reading.

Did I mention I don't have TV?

Anyway.

Eat yo veggies. It's really quite awesome, especially if you like a good basic green monster. Subtly sweet. Spinach takes on whatever you blend it into, you just have to get over the weird bright green-ness. Speaking of which, remember green ketchup?

Well I feel like this has been sufficiently ADD commentary, so here's the recipe. Let me know if you try it!

Avocado Spinach Coconut Milk Ice Cream
makes about 3 cups

2 ripe avocados
1 can light coconut milk
1 c. unsweetened original soy milk
2 c. fresh spinach
1/3 c. sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon

Stuff all ingredients into a blender. If you have a smaller blender, mix everything but the soy milk, then just whisk that in later in a bowl.

Blend for about 1 minute or until super smooth.

Pour into trusty ice cream maker.

Run for 15-20 minutes, or until it stops churning because it's frozen!

Transfer to a freezer-friendly container and freeze for 2-3 hours. 

When ready to serve, let it sit out for 10 minutes so it may soften for scooping.

I read that you could add 1-2 tbsp of booze to keep frozen treats from freezing too hard. Someone try that and report back. I can't make an entire batch of ice cream for myself. I live alone.

Summer Salad Duo

Depending on where you live, it's either too hot to turn on your oven, or your oven won't turn on. If you live in this house, your oven won't turn on. But it looks so nice! Something electrical is wrong.  (Note: these are #fancyovenproblems) 

But for many of you, it's one point nine bajillion degrees outside and you're probably not  interested in turning on your modest functioning oven. This is where I come in.


Here are two summery salads that cover all your nutritional bases. Protein, whole grain, fiber, fruit (if you're counting tomatoes), veggies, and healthy plant fat! I might have eaten this meal with crusty bread and goat cheese. I have an addiction! Not my fault!


Cucumber Tomato and Red Onion Salad


1 large cucumber
1 medium red onion
2 large tomatoes
1 tbsp EVOO
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
S&P to taste

Peel cucumber. Slice in half lengthwise, then scoop out any extra seeds. (If you use a hot house cucumber - the kind that comes wrapped in plastic - then you can just slice in half and skip the seeding).
Slice in half moons.

Cut tomatoes in 1/8ths.

Slice onion into bite size pieces. Nobody like giant onion chunks. Or do they?

Add all produce in a bowl. Add garlic pow, basil, S&P.

Drizzle with EVOO and red wine vin. Toss and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Ten minutes is all you need to get a slight pickle going on in there. Perfect!




Shrimp, Corn, and Avocado Quinoa Salad 


2 dozen cooked shrimp (like from leftover Cajun Boil)
1/2 c. yellow corn kernels
1 large avocado
2 c. cooked quinoa
juice of 2 limes
salt to taste

Peel shrimp and cut into bite size pieces (2's or 3's)

Cut corn off of cob

In a large bowl, combine corn and shrimp with quinoa

Dice the avocado and fold into quinoa mixture

Dress with lime juice and salt and toss well to coat

This quinoa salad is even better the next day! The lime juice keeps the avo from browning. You could go veg by substituting baked tofu for the shrimp.

Stay cool! (and never change! middle school yearbooks? anyone?)

Avocado Pasta

Remember how I mentioned that spiral slicer I got for christmas?

Well that little buddy got to work this week for one of the greatest super healthy dinners I have had in a while.

I got to experiment with the different blades and I learned a few things. (1) I need to make Arby's status curly fries stat (2) This thing realllly doesn't slice anything dense (like carrots).

But that's okay, because zucchini is delicious. And it makes an excellent substitue to pasta!

I've been wanting to try Oh She Glow's Avocado Pasta for a while now. I've adapted this recipe to make a creamy sauce that is lighter and goes a lot further.  To go with the avocado sauce, I spiraled zucchini and cut carrot ribbons with a vegetable peeler.

twirrrlllyyyyy!

This can be done in advance, like if you're procrastinating on the day of an econ midterm.

Blanch the veggie "pasta" in salty boiling water for a few minutes. Blanch the vegetables separately so you can control cooking time. I blanched the zuch for about 1 minutes, the carrots for about 2.

Drain, but KEEP THE PASTA WATER. For this:

Lemony Avocado Pasta
1 WWP+ per heaping tablespoon
Makes about 1 cup 


Ingredients

• 2 medium avocados
• 1 clove garlic
• juice of 2 lemons
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp EVOO
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pepper to taste
• 3/4 c. pasta water (+/- for your preference)

Instructions

• In a food processor, combine garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and EVOO
• Process until garlic is minced
• Add avocado 

• Process until smooth
• Add pasta water in 1/4 c. increments until you get a smooth sauce that's the consistency of pudding (that sounds gross, but it's very accurate)
• Add pepper and taste for S & P adjustments

• Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap (with plastic touching the sauce)
• I wouldn't try re-heating this sauce.

The pasta water heats the sauce, thickens it up, and adds starchy flavor. I served my sauce poured over veggie pasta and grilled chicken breast. Just add garlic bread!

Or don't, depending on how you feel about carbs.

This sauce would be just as excellent tossed with noodles and some protein like grilled shrimp, salmon, or even crab. That could get prettttyyy fannccyyyy.

Now I have a big pile of zucchini and carrot scraps. You're gonna have to stick around to see what I made from those!

Have a great weekend!