Vegetable Fruit Pops – ‘Veggies are Good’ Series

Is it just me, or is it hot out?!  With this sticky & steamy weather I’ve been experiencing, I needed something to cool me down and satisfy my sweet tooth.  Guess what I used?  Vegetables (say what?!).  This chilly dessert will further convince you that vegetables can be slipped into just about any meal, and will taste good.  I told my boyfriend that I was making popsicles, purposely leaving out the ‘they are made with vegetables’ detail, and he had no idea that he was eating spinach.

Yesterday I had some extra time on my hands and decided to do some experimenting in the kitchen.  I wanted to find out what combinations of fruit and vegetables would result in a popsicle that tasted just as good, if not better, than any that you could buy in a store.  I souped these up with some grown-up ingredients, as well.   Let’s take a look:

My ingredients for popsicles all lined up and ready to go!

Mango Thyme Popsicles

• 2 ripe mangos, roughly chopped
• 1 large zucchini, roughly chopped
• 4 to 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon or orange juice
• 6 oz (one small container) non-fat peach greek yogurt
• 4 tbsp mint simple syrup (recipe below), or to taste

Berry Mint Popsicles

• 2 c blueberries
• 1 1/2 c strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
• 3 large handfuls baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 1 large handful fresh mint
• 6 oz (one small container) non-fat blueberry greek yogurt
• 4 tbsp mint simple syrup (recipe below), or to taste

FOR BOTH RECIPES:  Place all ingredients into a blender/food processor, and puree until smooth (30 seconds to 1 minute).  Pour into molds, place sticks in center, and put into freezer for about 3 hours.

Simple Syrup Recipe:

• 1/2 c water
• 1/2 c sugar
• 10 fresh mint leaves

Put all ingredients into a small pot on low heat, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat, take out mint leaves, and allow syrup to cool.  Save the extra syrup to sweeten other foods, like a mint julep or iced tea.

Popsicle Tips:

• To keep popsicle sticks in place, cut out squares of thick paper (I used a paper bag), and push a stick through the center of the square, then put the stick into the mold.  The paper will hold the stick in place, like the picture above.
• If you can’t find popsicle sticks (I couldn’t!), then get creative.  I used bamboo chopsticks from the dollar store.
• Have fun with the molds.  Use different sized/shaped cups or dishes to make it your own.
• To loosen the popsicle from the mold, run warm water over the cup (BE CAREFUL IF YOUR MOLD IS GLASS!)
• Most importantly, be original!  Don’t be afraid to try out your own combinations of ingredients for the popsicles.  You may stumble upon a keeper!  I challenge you to try other vegetables and let me know what your favorite recipes are (Try them for the 4th!!).