Work-a-Day Wednesday: Avocado Smoothie (aka Raw Avocado Pudding)

If you've ever watched a sitcom (especially from the 1950's) you know that when people come home from work, they they relax by knocking back some type of alcoholic beverage. That's not really my scene. Especially considering that on Wednesdays my work involves an afternoon of piano lessons with other people's children and I suspect that it just might not go over well with those parents picking up their kids. "Excuse me Mrs. So and So, but I can't talk to you for another minute, because after finishing little Timmy's lesson, I really need to throw down this glass of bourbon. Or maybe a few. See you next week."

Not that there aren't days I'm not tempted to sit down and enjoy something grown up and relaxing. Wednesday is definitely one of those days. Avocados are grown up (in this house at least; my kids won't touch them). So is plain yogurt. Yeah, you're going to add a banana and some juice, so we'll just call it cocktail hour, okay.

At Aldi last week (and this week!), beautiful, perfect avocados were going for $.49 each. I purchased several. The unfortunate thing about avocados is that they all ripen at the same time (rude). But that just means you get to glut yourself on them for a few days.

This smoothie is going to look fairly green. Be not afraid. It's also a little thicker than some smoothies. But it's smooth, sweet perfection make that not a problem. In fact, as I drank mine, I realized that it was just the thing that raw foodists would label a pudding. Which made me realize that this could easily be a raw dessert or appetizer if that's your thing. You'll have to use a yogurt that's been cooked at 104 degrees F (I believe) or less, but I'm assuming if you're a raw foodie, you can totally handle that.

Avocado Smoothie (aka Raw Avocado Pudding)
adapted from Everyday Food
Serves 2
Prep time: 2 minutes
Cost: $1.15 or $.58/serving
(avocado .50 if you're lucky, banana: .15, yogurt: .20, juice: .30)

Note: I first made this with orange juice (which is what the original recipe recommended), which I thought would be weird, but was surprisingly good. Then I made it with apple juice, which I liked even better. The type of juice you use will affect the flavor, but both are very good, so use what you've got.

1 avocado
1 banana, frozen
1/2 C nonfat yogurt
1 1/2 C orange juice or apple juice

Blend until smooth. Add a bit more water (or some ice cubes) if it's too thick.

PRINTABLE RECIPE