Saturday, July 25, 2015

Friday, Week 1 - Avocado Chocolate Mousse, Guacamole, Hummus and Crumble

It was pouring with rain and by the time I got home, I was seriously drenched, but it was a good day.  I got in, having not been in since Monday, wondering what had been delivered on Tuesday and also how Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday had gone without me being there! 

Jodi, my colleague, did a great job and had made a crumble using the ripe damson from the damson tree in the garden on Thursday.  It was waiting to be eaten today.  On Monday I had bought a bunch of avocados from Brixton market to be made into guacamole, but the pallet had loads of fruit so Wednesday the kids made fruit cups and Tuesday they made a pasta bake.  So, the avocados:  I thought we could make a chocolate mousse to go with the crumble.  So, that is what we attempted! We made two batches.   It made about 4 cups. 

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

3 avocados
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Use a blender to mix up all the ingredients and then refrigerate. 



We had enough avocados left over to make guacamole, but we didn't have any tomatoes and although we had a red onion, I thought I should leave it out - children tend to shun them.  So, we mashed the avocados, added half a lemon and salted it to taste. 

Avocado dip

3 avocados
1/2 lemon - squeezed
salt to taste






We also had chickpeas and the kids helping me today love chickpeas, so I thought we could make hummus.

Hummus

2 tins chickpeas
2 tablespoons tahini
1/2 lemon
4 or 5 garlic cloves
salt to taste

Put all the ingredients in the blender or whizzer thing and whizz it to a smooth paste. 





We also chopped up loads of veggies for dipping - carrots, celery, red capsicum, cucumber.  It was a busy and fun afternoon. 


The kids plated everything up.  The delivery on Tuesday had left us with what seemed like hundreds of those little gem lettuces, so the kids used the lettuce leaves as a plate for the dips.  It was nice to see them use their initiative on that one.  They did it all and I am so proud of them because it was a lot of work. 





The plates went out.  Some of the kids enjoyed it all, others wanted only crumble and chocolate mousse, others only wanted the veggies and dips and a lot of them came back for more - which made me feel like I did something right.  Avocados are one of my favourite foods, but they are not a regular part of everyone's diets, so I am glad them, in both savoury and sweet form.  I am also really pleased with our hummus made from scratch.  It was total awesomeness. 

Avocados are a fruit, high in healthy fat - omega 3 fatty acids.  They are also a good source of vitamin B5, vitamin K and fibre.  They also contain high amounts of magnesium and iron and have more potassium per gram than bananas. 

Chickpeas are a gluten free food.  Low in fat, they are also high in fibre and protein and are a great source of antioxidants, important in the prevention of cancer.  They contain alpha-linolenic acid which is vital in the production of omega 3. 

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