Mango and Avocado: Two of Gods Most Delicious Gifts

Without question, it is my opinion that avocados are one of the most delicious foods God ever created. I'm fairly certain I could eat them every day with every meal and never get tired of them.

The following recipe was made by a very creative friend of mine and it has become one of my all time favorite ways to enjoy avocados!Thank you so much Heidi for introducing me to this delicious mixture of goodness :)

I'm not certain my proportions are the same as what she uses but this is how I've been making it and my family LOVES it!!  We could eat it by the bucketfuls if not for the fact that it really is very filling.

Mango Basil Avocado Dip

2 large avocados diced (I dice them in the skin before scooping the fruit out  

     with a spoon)

2 ripe mangos

Generous 1/2 cup or more of finely chopped fresh basil 

4-5 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 medium sweet onion finely diced

4 med tomatoes peeled and diced (blanch briefly and the skins will peel off 

     easily. I don't bother peeling the tomatoes when they come from my
     garden or other reliable source but if have to buy them from the
     supermarket I don't want to eat or feed my family the "food grade
     polyurethane" and other who knows what that they coat store bought
     tomatoes with,which is why I take the time to peel them  )

1/4 of a large jalapeno crushed, more if you like things hot! (I used my garlic
     press)

Juice of 1 lime

Sea salt to taste

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Splash of apple cider vinegar

A couple three good tablespoons or so of olive oil

Mix all that deliciousness together in a bowl and enjoy!!

This is amazing on chips as dip or on veggie sticks, salad, chicken, fish, off a spoon from the bowl....

 

Lemon Kefir Smoothie (Popsicles and Ice Cream too)

I love smoothies, my kids love smoothies, and even more they love popsicles made from the leftovers! They are fast, filling and super easy plus I can pack loads of nutrition, protein and good fats into them. Because of this they are often my "oops I forgot to plan something" meal if dad's working late or they serve as the perfect breakfast for hurried mornings.  Lemon Kefir happens to be one of our favorite smoothies so I thought I'd share the "recipe" with you. 

Ingredients:

-Raw whole milk kefir,  enough to fill my vita-mix about 2/3's full (can you

                           see all that beautiful cream on top of mine :)  )

-One whole Meyer lemon with ends sliced off, cut in half and any visible  

                           seeds picked out

-Good splash or two of vanilla

-5  raw egg yolks ( I leave these out if making it for myself as I'm allergic but

                                   they add loads of nutrition and nice rich creaminess if not
                            allergic. Also omit them if you don't have access to good 
                            eggs from a source you trust. I would never use store 
                            bought eggs raw.)
-Good tablespoon of a clean beef gelatin free of MSG (I get mine in bulk 
                             from Azure Standard but Bernard Jensen is a good brand
                             too)
-Raw honey to taste (a pure stevia extract can be used instead if you have 
                            blood sugar issues)
-Nice big spoonful of raw coconut oil (optional but a good way to get more 
                             coconut oil in you)
-Extra kefir grains if you have them (smoothies are a great place to use up
                            extra kefir grains if you have them to add a nice extra
                            dose of fantastic probiotics and no one will ever know)

* See below for tips on making this into ice cream 

Instructions:


Place all in blender and blend until nice and smooth. If there is any left over it makes great popsicles! 

* This also makes a beautiful ice cream! However, I have always omitted the oil when I make it into ice cream, I'm not sure if the texture would be as nice with it in. Also when making ice cream a very nice addition to this is a few good scoops of homemade sour cream.  If I get carried away with the vanilla, as I sometimes do, it doesn't set up well (due to the alcohol in the vanilla) so I prefer to use the seeds from a few vanilla beans in order to get a nice rich vanilla flavor without compromising the set up of the ice cream.