Crockpots and Avocados

We celebrated Labor Day today at my mom's house. I brought out the goodies for burritos--Southwestern Beef and Green Chili Chicken. I have a double sided crockpot, so I just cooked both meat mixtures over night and packed them up to mom's house. Of course, we low carbers didn't actually eat burritos; we had ours with salad for lunch. We treated ourselves to lots of low carb veggies--green onions, red bell peppers, and sliced avocado. Home made salsa too.

When time came for dinner, we opted for leftovers. I decided to cut a red bell pepper in half, and used the pepper for a shell for the meat. I heated everything together and it was so yummy. The photo was taken with my son's cell phone--so sorry it is so blurry. You get the idea though. My bell peppers were a special variety of sweet pepper from Sam's Club. I really like these.


After we got home tonight, I started putting away the leftovers. We had half an avocado in a bag. No one in my family cares for guacamole, so I wasn't sure what to do. Then I remembered an unusual recipe I borrowed from the raw food enthusiasts. Pudding. Yep, if you have the August newsletter, you might recognize the Avocado Coconut pudding. The whipped avocado gives it the texture of a real pudding with no thickeners and no cooking and no eggs. You get all the healthy fat in that green mush, and no Mexican food necessary.

The taste is pretty good. My recipe is simple, but you could add flavorings as you like. The avocado flavor is not strong, so what you taste is the vanilla and coconut. Your eyes love the pretty green color. Of course, for chocolate pudding, you can add a tablespoon of cocoa powder too. I only had half an avocado, so I halved the recipe, and it was just right for one. I named this recipe in honor of my friend and fellow Diner, Tinkerbelle. She loves avocados, and I always think of her when I think of them.

Tinkerbelle's Avocado Pudding

1 avocado
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar or equivalent sweetener
cocoa powder optional

Place diced avocado and other ingredients in a blender. Process until whipped. Serve or chill.

If you have some leftover avocados, be sure to give this unusual dessert a try. I poured it into my dessert shot glasses, as a little of the sweet creaminess goes a long way. It is not an amazing dessert recipe, but it is pretty darn healthy and great for those who need to avoid dairy and eggs.

My middle boy turned 20 today. We are going to college tomorrow to take him out to dinner and give him a big hug. We will have almost the same dinner, but at a restaurant. We shall see whose is the best!