Today I’m linking up with the American Heart Association and for their Take Avocado to Heart recipe contest, which is in support of the organization’s Healthy For Good movement, helping to motivate, inspire and educate Americans to live healthier lives.
Avocados are one of my favorite superfoods. Packed with fiber and potassium a good source of heart-healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats, they make a great addition to kinds of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack recipes. They’re also wonderful in dessert. Take my Dark Chocolate Avocado Mousse, for example.
I remember Valentines Day many, many moons (or almost 10 years) ago, I went out for a three-course dinner at this trendy raw vegan restaurant that smelled like ground nuts and high expectation. This was before I even knew I had a nut allergy (and since adult-onset allergies are a thing, perhaps before I really did have an allergy), and all I really remember was that the portions were small and everything was salty, and it was just so f***ing expensive. That made my date really cranky, that part.
Anyway, one of the good things about this dinner was the dessert—some kind of raw ice cream thing that was probably avocado based. Even if it wasn’t, I thought it was high time I tried my hand at avocado ice cream. Whenever I have ripe avocado on hand, I want to enjoy it as is in a salad, over a chickpea flour pancake, or on top of savory oatmeal.
So this time I just bought multiple ripe avocados. Problem solved.
And so worth it.
As I was testing recipe ideas for this, it occurred to me that, while mint chocolate chip can be found pretty much anywhere, it’s hard to find mint ice cream. I went hard on the fresh mint in this, but you can absolutely use mint extract if preferred. The rest is a not-too-sweet treat you can feel good about eating and serving to your loved ones. All the hearts you care about.
Best part? You only need 4 ingredients to make this.
4-Ingredient Mint Ice Cream
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- flesh of 1 ripe avocado
- 2 frozen banans (unpeeled)
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped (or 1 teaspoon mint extract)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
- Pulse ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
- Divide between four cups and garnish with mint leaves.
Nutrition Information per serving: 108 calories, 5 grams fat (1 gram saturated, 3 grams monounsaturated, 1 gram polyunsaturated), 17 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams fiber, 0 grams added sugar, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 mg sodium, 381 mg potassium, 1 gram protein.
What’s your favorite way to enjoy avocados?
Though I was not compensated for my time, this post enters me into a contest to win a monetary prize. Opinions are my own.
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