Avocado Ice Pops

Maybe you love avocado.
Or maybe you loathe avocado. 

It's an acquired taste. 
Like cheese. (I love!) 
And durian. (I loathe.) 

For avo-lovers, here's a cool recipe for you. (No pun intended.)


AVOCADO ICE POPS
Makes 4 creamy ice pops.

1-1/2 avocados
2-3 tbs gula melaka, melted (or use honey if you don't have gula melaka)
water
1-2 tbs lime or lemon juice (optional)

Place avocado (skin and seed removed, of course), gula melaka and lime juice into a measuring cup.

Add water till it reaches the 480ml mark. (If you're wondering, I used popsicle moulds from Daiso. Adjust recipe according to your mould. Proportion doesn't have to be precise. Use more avocado if you're a die-hard avo fan or for a creamier ice pop.)

Transfer everything into a blender and blitz away till smooth. (I like my ice pops smooth and creamy. But if you like some chucky avo bits in your pops, stop blitzing when the mixture is to your liking.)

Pour into popsicle moulds and freeze for at least 4 hours or till set.

* * * * *

Now that you've made your avo-pops, what are you gonna do with the remaining half avocado??

Make a tunavomato sandwich!!

A what??

A tuna-avocado-tomato sandwich.
Yup! I like to call it a tunavomato sandwich  :)
It's the best breakfast sandwich ever!  Trust me. 

Mini Sticky Date Pudding

Sticky Date Pudding #2 - made with mini bundt pans.

I like making minis.

First of all, they are cute.
Secondly, no need to cut and divide; they are already in individual portions.
Thirdly, shorter baking time - faster results, and savings on electricity bill.
:)  :)  :)

Recipe can be found here. The only difference is the baking time - down to just 20 minutes!
Oh, and I used just half the recipe to get 6 minis.

These can be made in advance and stored in the fridge or freezer. Just reheat before serving, drizzle warm butterscotch sauce and don't forget that scoop of ice cream!

Hash Brown Quiche & Apple Pear Crumble

When I first saw Jennifurla's post on her Ham & Cheese Quiche, I knew I had to try it.  The unusual thing about this quiche is that the crust is made with hash browns!  Now, that was a first for me.

I modified her recipe, since I didn't have ham.  Instead, I used minced pork, pre-cooked with some basil and oregano.  I also added some lettuce and tomatoes, since I had a whole bag of it in the fridge.

The verdict: I love the hash brown crust! First, no mess of having to make the pastry dough and having flour all over the countertop. Second, its crisp and crunchy texture, as well as savoury flavour, just added a whole new dimension to the quiche.  

Thanks for sharing, Jennifurla :)

And for dessert, while the quiche was baking in the oven, it gave me just enough time to whip up this Apple & Pear Crumble. It's easy, nutritious, and fabulous with vanilla ice cream!!

Although you don't see much from the picture, all the fruity goodness is under the crunchy crumble, all thanks to the rolled oats.

RECIPE for 4 portions:

Crumble topping:
65g flour
90g brown sugar (already reduced)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
40g rolled oats
25g almonds and walnuts
75g butter, straight from the fridge

Filling:
20-40g brown sugar (depending on how sweet/sour the apples)
1 tsp cornflour
1 apple + 1 pear, peeled, cored, chopped
30g raisins or dried fruit (optional)

1 - Combine all ingredients for topping. Blitz in a food processor till it resembles coarse bread crumbs. Set aside.

2 - Combine all ingredients for filling and mix well.

3 - Divide filling into 4 ramekins (or pour it all into a small pie plate).

4 - Sprinkle crumble topping over the filling.

5 - Bake at 190*C for about 20 min for ramekins or about 30-40 min for pie plate till crumble is golden brown.

6 - Allow to cool for about 10-15 min, then serve with a generous dollop of vanilla ice cream!

Sticky Date Pudding

Sticky Date Pudding is one of my favourite desserts.
I was always under the impression that it was difficult to make, but today I discover that other than the extra steps to prep the dates and the butterscotch sauce, it's really just like any other butter cake. And the sauce... well, all it takes is just 5 minutes! Couldn't be simpler.

And while SDP is usually served with vanilla ice cream, I decided I'd try something different - Macadamia Nut ice cream - and it was, no doubt, an excellent choice!

To all SDP lovers, this one's for you...

Sticky Date Pudding:

200g pitted dates
300ml water
1 tsp baking soda
40g walnuts (optional)
60g butter
40g brown sugar
100g white sugar
2 eggs
150g flour
1 tsp baking powder

1 - In a saucepan, heat the dates and water. When it starts to boil, stir in baking soda and remove from heat. Allow to cool a little, then blend dates and walnuts together till desired texture. If you like a finer cake texture, blend till smooth; if you like it with chunkier bits of dates and nuts, just blitz it a little.
2 - With a mixer, cream butter and sugars. Then add eggs one at a time. Mix well.
3 - Add date mixture and mix well.
4 - Sift flour and baking powder and fold into mixture till just combined.
5 - Pour into greased and floured baking pan. Bake at 160 degC for about 45 minutes.

Butterscotch Sauce:
120ml cream
90g brown sugar
80g butter
Combine all ingredients in a non-stick saucepan over low heat, stirring till sauce is smooth.

Macadamia Nut Ice Cream:
Head to your nearest Haagen Dazs outlet and pick up a pint of Macadamia Nut ice cream.