Reinvented Fudgesicles

The 4th of July has come and gone and we are officially in the middle of summer!  Time for neighborhood block parties, slip n’ slide action, fireflies, camping trips and FUDGESICLES!  And because we’re Peas of Mind and love reinventing your favorite classic foods, we’re taking the cool and creamy fudgesicle and turning it into a treat that you can feel good about feeding your little ones any time they want a sweet treat. Peas of Mind’s reinvented fudgesicle’s are dairy-free, contain agave instead of sugar and because of the secret ingredient, avocado, our dessert is full of fiber, vitamin K, folate and B6.  Let’s celebrate June with some super food infused, super delicious: FUDGESICLES!

·       Ingredients:

1     1 large, very ripe avocado (or about 1 cup Avocado flesh)

·      1 cup almond milk

·      ¼ cup agave

·      1 tsp Vanilla extract

·      2 TBL cocoa powder

·      ½ tsp of salt (to stop ice crystals from forming)

Method: Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. The consistency should be that of slightly runny pudding.  Pour mixture into your favorite Popsicle mold. Freeze for about 6-8 hours.  Makes 4 Fudgesicles.

Veggie Pickles

Here at Peas of Mind, we pride ourselves on getting kids to eat their veggies. Whether

we’re loading up pizza with hidden veggies or turning a broccoli floret into a tasty French fry, we’ve made it our mission to make it easy for you to get your kiddos to eat their daily dose of veggies. This month we’re taking a kid classic and reinventing it into a healthy, satisfy and crunchy afterschool snack.  This month’s recipea is the VEGGIE PICKLE and the perfect activity for you and your kiddos on a rainy spring day and  delicious side dish at a sunny picnic. 

The great thing about our reinvented pickles is that they’re easy to prepare and can last up to a month in your refrigerator (the longer they’re in your fridge, the better they’ll taste).

On your mark, get set, Pickle!

 Ingredients:

About 4 cups of your favorite vegetables, raw and chopped into large bite size pieces (carrots, cauliflower, green beans, onions and turnips are all delicious).

1 Tbsp dill seeds

1 Tbsp coriander

2 Tbsp mustard seeds

2 Tbsp black peppercorns

1 bayleaf

3 Tbsp kosher salt

2 Tbsp sugar

5 cloves of garlic

2 cups white vinegar

2 cups water

Method

Put garlic and bite size vegetables into a quart size jar (make sure to leave about 1 inch at the top of the jar) and set aside. In a medium saucepan combine vinegar and water and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and add dill seeds, mustard seeds, peppercorns, bay leaf, salt and sugar. Stir until dissolved.  Turn off heat and let cool until the brine is at room temperature.  Pour room temperature brine into the quart jar making sure that all of the vegetables are covered with the mixture and tightly twist on the lid. Shake everything together (this is a fun thing for your little ones to do) and leave in the refrigerator to “pickle” for at least 24 hours. Pickles will be PERFECT after about 5 days. 

Natural Food Coloring

Winter is officially here which means the days are shorter, the weather is colder and we are all spending more time inside.  So what do you do when you and your little ones are feeling cooped up indoors? You decorate cookies! Cookie decorating is a great way to get your kiddos excited about being in the kitchen AND make a delicious holiday inspired treat to give as gifts to family and friends. 

How do we give your cookie decorating party a Peas of Mind twist? That’s easy, by using homemade food coloring! So this year opt out of using store bought brands filled with chemicals and make your own with fruits, veggies and spices!

Natural Food Coloring

-2 C powdered sugar

-1 TBL water

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-pinch of salt

-pinch of turmeric (yellow color)

-1/2 tsp paprika (red color)

-juice of 1 carrot (orange color)

-juice of 1/2 C spinach (green color)

-juice of 1/2 C blueberries (blue color)

Combine 1 cup of powdered sugar with water and vanilla. Divide icing evenly into five small bowls.

For yellow and red colors: mix in the turmeric in one of the bowls and the paprika into another bowl. Stir until combined, adding more water or powdered sugar for your desired consistency.

For orange, green and blue colors: mix 1 tsp of the juice into the remaining bowls. Continue to add more juice and powdered sugar until you get the desired color and consistency.

Voila you now have food coloring that contains ingredients you can actually pronounce! Hope this brings a little Peas of Mind to your cookie baking party this year.