Get HYPE Philly! team and teen participants alike learn new things all the time about the benefits of different foods and how to prepare them. At a recent HYPE program with culinary educator Lauren Nixon, participants learned about the many benefits of avocado—particularly, what makes it a healthy fat. I won’t lie; I’m not usually a huge avocado fan—unless I’m eating guacamole, but this program changed that for me and got a lot of teens on board with eating avocado as well.

HYPE participants started out discussing the benefits of avocado, such as its monounsaturated fat content which helps lower bad cholesterol. They also got a crash course on how versatile avocado can be. Lauren and the participants made a chocolate avocado pudding and a “green goddess dip” (which can also be called "avocado pesto") on toast with stacked veggies on top of the spread. We had two delicious recipes using the same avocado) base but with completely different tastes.

One was sweet enough to satisfy cravings and the other made you never want to use mayo on a sandwich again (Did I forget to mention that this spread has a healthful source of fat? Bye Mayonnaise!). Both recipes take about ten minutes to prepare and are easy to make. You can even store larger batches for up to a week later. Being able to use the same food for completely different meals helps when you’re looking to plan your grocery shopping and meals for the week. Avocado just made meal prep easier, everyone!

While working on the Get HYPE Philly! staff, you spend a large chunk of your day doing activities with teens to get them on track to a healthier lifestyle. You can’t help but evaluate how health conscious you are in your personal life. This experience made me completely rethink how I use avocados at home. So guess who will be eating avocado chocolate pudding to improve their diet? That’s right, me! And I’ll leave you with the recipes, so that you can try it too!

CHOCOLATE AVOCADO PUDDING
Serving Size: ½ cup
Servings: About 8

Ingredients

• 1 can unsweetened full fat coconut milk
• 4 ripe avocados
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup honey or maple syrup
   

Directions

• Add all ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth.
• Chill for an hour or two, then store leftovers in an airtight glass container.

GREEN GODDESS DIP ON TOAST
Adapted from karalydon.com
Serving Size: 1 Tbsp
Servings: About 20

Ingredients

• 1 garlic clove
• 1 medium sized avocado
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup basil
• ½ cup parsley
• ¼ cup scallions (white and green parts)
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 or 2 slices of toast
• Optional toppings: sliced tomato, shredded chicken, sliced beef, sliced cucumber, tuna, shredded salmon
   

Directions

• Chop scallions into bite sized pieces. Remove stems from basil and parsley.
• Add all ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth.
• Toast bread, slick with pesto, and add any desired toppings.
• Store leftovers in an airtight glass container.