Thursday, November 9, 2017

Chocolate with Avocado Pudding, #recipe, @LWiken, #cozymystery


You may have guessed by now from my various posts, that I love recipes that are easy and fast. My other confession is that I don't often make desserts. It's just not what I'm used to in our family. But I do love chocolate. So, you can imagine my delight when I came across a recipe in our newspaper that combined the fast and easy along with the chocolate, and allowed me to shine in the dessert department.

Avocado may not have been your first choice of a pairing with chocolate but it grabbed my attention. I love them both and besides, how healthy is that! When combined in the food processor, the creamy texture of the avocado translated into a smooth and luxurious dessert.

I chose to add some chili flakes because I like some zing in my chocolate. I also added pomegranate seeds because I had some juicy fresh ones, with a hint of tartness, and that created some crunch along with some zing. My advice is to take the basic recipe and play with it, adding what you enjoy in a dessert. My final addition was a couple of slices of a pear I'd used earlier in the day, as a topping. I would have preferred a few fresh basil leaves, mainly for the contrast in color, but I'm currently out of them. Whipped cream would have looked terrific, but alas, one on hand.

Finally, the recipe said you could eat it right away or, even better, let it chill in the fridge for a couple of hours. I ate some right away and later, finished what had been put in the fridge. Purely as a taste test, you understand. Both ways were delicious, in fact, addictive. Beware!

The quantities in this recipe are for one dish although, I could easily have shared it!



What you'll need:

1 avocado -- halve it, remove the pit, and scoop out the flesh

3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
 (as an aside, my health food consultant told me cocoa powder in   bulk is strictly cocoa, no sweeteners added; if you buy hot chocolate powder, that's where the sweetness resides)

2 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup (feel free to add more if you want it sweeter)

1/2 c. milk (I used almond milk-- you can add more if the pudding is too thick)

1/4 tsp. chili flakes

pomegranate seeds to suit

 a pinch of fine grain sea salt (I used Himalayan because I like it!)




















What to do:

Combine everything in a food processor bowl and set on low until everything is smooth.



















Taste to determine if it needs more of anything and you're ready to go! Either eat right away or chill for a couple of hours.

How easy is that! It's now my staple dessert recipe.





Dine out on the DINNER CLUB MYSTERIES

 Coming March, 2018
Marinating in Murder, book #3


ROUX THE DAY, A Dinner Club Mystery is now available in paper and as an e-book. 
Recipes included!



TOASTING UP TROUBLE, the first in the Dinner Club Mysteries is available at your favorite bookstore and on-line, as a paperback and as an e-book.  
Recipes included!







Writing as Erika Chase -- the Ashton Corners Book Club Mystery series are available on-line or at your favorite bookstore.

             
Visit Linda at www.lindakwiken.com
Love to hear from you at my Facebook author page and
on Twitter  @LWiken  
Also appearing at www.killercharacters.com
                                                                               


Visit Erika at www.erikachase.com 
 at my Facebook author page
and on Twitter  @erika_chase. 







6 comments:

  1. Wow, this is an unexpected combination of ingredients! Have you tried it out on a group of beta-tasters? (Invite us over!)

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  2. Isn't avocado amazing? It works well for ice cream, too.

    You say to put everything into the food processor, but in your beautifully staged picture the pomegranate seeds have obviously been added later, not processed in.

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    Replies
    1. I realized I'd forgotten to take a photo of them, Libby and did so after. They were in fact, processed in.

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  3. Avocados are really versatile. At a wonderful Bubble Tea Shop called Fat Straws, my favorite drink is an Avocado Bravado -- it tastes amazing!

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  4. I love this, Linda! Thanks for sharing it. Hugs. MJ

    ReplyDelete