Saturday, February 14, 2009

valentines day treats - beets & avocados!

"What?!" You might be thinking I'm crazy. Nope! This Momma tries not to pass up an opportunity to add healthiness to otherwise "sweet treats". These are two recipes from Deceptively Delicious that have become staples in our house. I do not "sneak" these - I show Graeme exactly what is going in the recipe, but since he wouldn't dream of eating an avocado or a beet on its own (honestly, I'm not a big fan, either), the fact that he's getting them in a "treat" makes me happy, so I say, why not?! The pudding is delicious! You truly cannot taste the avocado! I felt great that while I enjoyed a chocolate fix, I was nourishing my body as well. As a nursing mother, I am constantly looking for ways to up my intake of healthy fats.

Pink Pancakes
In a blender/food processor, combine

3/4 c. water
1/4 c. beet puree
1/2 c. ricotta cheese
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Dump in a bowl. Add 1 cup pancake mix and 1/4 cup grated apple (or carrot, as I was out of apple today). Stir until combined.

If it seems a little thick, just add water until a good consistency.


Pink Pancake Batter - I never guessed you could create the color magenta w/out artificial coloring!



Served with strawberries and maple syrup - yummy! Graeme will eat these as an afternoon snack, which is great, as they have ricotta cheese, which is high in good fat and protein.



Chocolate Pudding
1/4 c. butter
1 c. avocado puree (about 1 whole avocado)
1 c. powdered sugar (next time, I'd like to try a healthier sugar)
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. cornstarch

Melt butter over low heat, stir in the avocado, sugar, cocoa and vanilla. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, mashing out any lumps. Remove from heat, gradually stir in cornstarch. Serve warm.

(I haven't figured out if this will be good as a leftover. I wonder if the avocado, when cooked, will stay good for a day or two...does anyone have a guess?)


This isn't a glorious picture, but here it is anyway. I did add some milk to adjust the thickness to my taste.



Momma & Daddy's Valentine breakfast (wheat pancakes with strawberry/raspberry homemade syrup)



And, since you can't get enough of cute babies, here's Cole talking to his bear and smiling at his Momma :)


2 comments:

seamwrite said...

Wow - both recipes look worth trying. Do you keep frozen beet puree in your freezer or something? Would be a handy way to have it around... Can't wait to check them out. And THANK YOU for the Cole fix - he's irresistable!

Laura said...

You are brave for trying those beet pancakes, Amanda! :) Could you taste the beets?

Joshua says "thank you" for his birthday present! Those crayons are pretty neat...I've never seen any like that before, and it's a great idea.