We are pleased to introduce Food Comics from The Chopping Block where our resident Cartoonist Tom O'Brien illustrates his cooking adventures. Here, he shows us how to make a variety of different Frozen Pops, just in time for summer!
/OBrien_frozen_pops_page1_update.jpg?width=600&name=OBrien_frozen_pops_page1_update.jpg "Hello again, Food Fans. I don't know about you, but I am hot. Really hot. And when it gets this hot, the only thing I want is a frozen treat. So, this time around I'm going to share with you some of my favorite recipes for Frozen Pops Don't get me wrong, juice pops a great and easy, but with minimal effort, we can bring the pop up a notch. These pop recipes are all easy, tasty and healthy. They're great for kids and adults and are a great way to cool down on those warm summer days. Strawberry Coconut Milk Pops If you choose to go with the agave syrup for these pops, they'll be vegan. For these pops, all you need is: 2 cups strawberries 1/2 can coconut milk, full fat 1 tbs agave syrup or honey Cut the stems off of the strawberries and blend everything together until uniform. Pour into the pop mold of your choice. Mine are silicone dinosaurs. Freeze for a few hours and enjoy! Smoothie Pops These are a great way to cool down and refresh after a workout (or as a snack in the middle of a Netflix binge). You'll need: 1 banana 1/4 cup pineapple 1/4 cup cherries 1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt Blend ingredients, pour into molds and freeze. The yogurt will require a longer freeze time than a juice based pop. Frozen fruit will help keep the fruit in larger chunks, but isn't necessary. Blueberry Cream Pops Adding cream to a pop will make it smoother and silkier, as opposed to the brittle nature of a juice pop. Here's what you'll need: 11/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen 3 dates, pits removed 2 tbsp heavy cream Juice of 1 lime As always, blend your ingredients until smooth, then pour into molds and freeze. Because of the cream, these will take at least 4 hours to freeze properly, but you'll get the best results if you let them go overnight. Blackberry Yogurt Pops These pops are similar to the smoothie pops, but with a hint of sweetness. You'll need: 2 cups blackberries 2 Tablespoons agave syrup or honey 2 cups vanilla Greek yogurt Blend until smooth, pour into your mold and freeze. Chocolate Fudge Pops Fruit isn't the only thing that can go into a great pop You'll only need two things for this recipe: 1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread 1 1/2 cups chocolate almond milk 1 banana, well diced Whisk the hazelnut spread and ½ cup almond milk until well mixed and smooth. Then add the remainder of the almond milk and whisk until evenly mixed. Then, mix in the banana. Pour into molds and freeze. Again, 4 hours is the minimum, but overnight is better. Hopefully, this gets your mind going about pops. All of these recipes are flexible. Fell free to experiment. Add more fruit, substitute blackberries for strawberries, add some peanut butter in with the hazelnut spread. The sky's the limit! Happy eating!")
Want to add some booze to your popsicles for adult versions? My colleague Erica has some fun ideas in this post.
Our Wellness Chef Alia Dalal is also hosting an upcoming Healthy Happy Hour. In this cooking class-meets-cocktail mixer, she'll share some of her favorite clean cocktails and whole foods-based appetizers. Instead of sugary mixers that can lead to hangover city, Chef Alia uses herbs, spices, ginger, kombucha, bitters, cold-pressed juices and high-quality spirits to create low-sugar and unprocessed drinks. Join us for this special event!
Love our food comics but want a text-only version for easy reference in the kitchen? Download a PDF of the recipe here.
/tomsweat.png?width=317&name=tomsweat.png "Tom")
