It doesn’t happen often, only every now and again. But sometimes I miss sugar so much it hurts. Yesterday I was having a semi-annual episode, exacerbated by a low-grade headache and high-grade frustration that there were not enough waking hours to accomplish even part of my to-do list.
It’s days like that where I find myself longing for sheetcakes. I don’t get panicked or berate myself when this happens. I simply take it as the signal that it is: I’m stressed out and need some relief. Now of course, food doesn’t solve everything, so I did what I could to alleviate both the headache and the frustration: downed some hot herbal tea, had a healthy carb prior to my workout, did 50 minutes of cardio, pecked away at a few items on my to-do list. And when I arrived back home, made a snack.
Since I was craving cake, here’s what I did: take a ripe avocado and transform it into Nutella. Well, my version of it. Some of you already know about my adoration of the avocado. I seldom make guacamole out of it. Instead, I adore alchemizing it into wine goblets full of chocolate mousse or frosting for lentil-based cakes. The wheels began turning yesterday after seeing a Nutella ad….yes, I’ve found another use for the mighty avocado. So here goes the recipe. I’ll be up front and say this didn’t taste all that much like Nutella, even with the real hazelnuts and hazelnut extract. Which makes me wonder what kind of artificial flavorings the stuff might be pumped with . If you’re not a sugar avoider like me, go right ahead and use the real thing, or agave.
I frosted a piece of peanut butter cake (made of garbanzo beans) with my “Avocado-tella,” then ate the rest with a spoon. Nutrition…satisfaction….and no being knocked off the balance beam.
Avocado-tella
1/4 cup hazelnuts (also called filberts)
1 ripe haas avocado
1/2 tsp. hazelnut extract
15 drops stevia or 2 Tbs. coconut palm sugar or agave
2 Tbs. raw cacao
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
Place nuts in a food processor and process for 3 minutes, until they’re ground to a sandy texture. Stop about every 30 seconds and stir if unevenly grinding.
Place the remaining ingredients in the food processor and blend until smooth. May be used as a pudding or a frosting.
How many frostings can say they’re nutritious…huh?
