chocolate pudding (that's GOOD for you!)

avocados...in pudding? let's just say i was more than skeptical when i saw the recipe here, but with a bag of avocados on my counter and a strong desire for dessert i thought i would give it a try. it was awesome. in my family, awesome is a word reserved for few things. growing up my mom would say, "sweetie, God is awesome, babies being born are awesome. *that* is not awesome."

this pudding could challenge her definition. it has the consistency of those horrible-for-you pudding cups and my children beg to eat its healthiness, so i'd say that's pretty awe-inspiring. ;)

chocolate avocado pudding (or "chocamole" as kirby likes to call it)
the family of six recipe

4-5 avocados
1/3 C cocoa powder
1/3 C maple syrup or agave (both work wonderfully)
2-3 T milk, almond milk, coconut milk, or water (i usually end up rinsing out my maple syrup or agave bottle with the water and then pouring that into the mix)
1 T vanilla

pit and scoop avocados. place everything in your food processor and let it whirl for 3-5 minutes, or until you see no small green pieces. serve with whipped cream or whipped coconut cream and berry sauce, hot fudge, or fresh fruit. be forewarned that this pudding is deceptively filling. four avocados is seriously enough to feed the six dessert-mongers in my house. if you didn't believe me and you made too much, don't worry...it saves in the fridge for at least three days (that's as long as it's ever lasted).

enjoy!

baked egg recipe

okay, so i realize it's been a while since i have posted anything. what's new? my sister camye of the quad cities moms blog was sharing some of my recipes on tv today, so i thought i should probably have one of the only-in-my-brain recipes online. also, this may be a good excuse to catch you up on all of the other recipes i have been sitting on for the last month(s). first, the baked egg. it's basically a quiche filling made without a crust. giving up extra flour a few years back led me to make it this way. i know, i know, it's nothing groundbreaking, but i've been making it this way for over five years now and some people may not have been introduced to it yet. in the meschke household, it's a common meal...for breakfast and dinner. it's a very flexible recipe, as you will see.

baked eggs

12-18 eggs, beaten
1/2-1 C milk or yogurt (or non-dairy alternative)
1 onion, diced (red, yellow, or sweet...if you have onion-pickers, i suggest using a microplane to grate the onion)
salt and pepper

add-ins:
cheese (shredded mozzarella, colby jack, jack, cheddar, etc, or crumbled feta, goat cheese, gorgonzola...you get the drift)
meat (browned sausage, crumbled bacon, diced ham, etc)
veggies (chopped peppers, mushrooms, fresh tomato, chopped spinach, shredded or sliced zucchini, etc)
extra seasonings (nutmeg, basil, oregano, stone ground mustard, bruschetta spread, etc)

beat your eggs, then whisk in the milk/yogurt. stir onions and other add-ins into the egg mixture. pour into greased 9x13 pan, 10x14 pan (if you used 18 eggs and lots of add-ins), or divide between muffin tins. bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes for pan or 18-25 minutes for muffin tins. it's done when the center doesn't jiggle. let cool for 10 minutes before cutting. leftovers are very good!

some of my favorite baked egg combinations are:

traditional ham and cheese: use one 8oz package of hormel naturals smoked ham, diced, 1-2 C shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese, 1 T stone ground brown mustard, and a pinch of nutmeg. this is best when you use yogurt for the liquid.

italian bake: chop 2-3 big handfuls of baby spinach. add one jar of bruschetta spread (i used to get an all-natural one at walmart, but now find it more easily at trader joe's) and 1-2 C shredded mozzarella or parmesan cheese.

zucchini season: finely shred 3-5 zucchini (alternatively, you can slice or dice them but i find when the zucchini is shredded little fingers can't pick it out). add 1-2 C shredded vintage cheddar or mozzarella or parmesan. you can also add 2-3 diced tomatoes or one drained can of diced tomatoes.


enjoy!