italian flag popsicles! ♥

Ingredients

Ingredients ♥ (10 (2.5 oz.) Pops) for the red layer:

2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled & quartered + a couple extra, chopped (optional)

1/2 cup simple syrup

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

pinch of fine sea salt

for the white layer:

6.25 fluid ounce (just over 3/4 cup) canned coconut milk

7 fluid ounce (scant cup) sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup half-and-half

big pinch fine sea salt

big splash pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened, shredded coconut

for the green layer

1 avocado, pitted & scooped out of peel

1 cup chopped kale (leaves only, packed)

1/2 cup simple syrup (more or less, to taste)**

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

pinch of sea salt

6-8 tablespoons coconut water (or milk of any variety - cow, coconut, almond, rice, soy)

Preparation

Instructions ♥

To make these ice pops, you will need: a blender, a popsicle mold (or plastic cups), popsicle sticks (or skewers)

red layer:

Begin by blending all of the ingredients under smooth in a blender. Fill the bottom third of your popsicle molds with the mixture. Add a few small pieces of chopped strawberry, if you wish. Freeze until solid (or at least extremely firm); it will take a few hours.

You can either add the popsicle sticks the molds after an hour or so, when they're just firmer than slushy, or you can wait to add the sticks until you've added the next layer. It really depends on the size of the molds you're using and how deeply you want the sticks to go.

white layer:

Toast the coconut in a small pan until golden in spots (watch it carefully, so that it doesn't burn). Pour out of pan (into a bowl or onto a plate or parchment) and let cool completely.

Add the cooled toasted coconut plus all of the other ingredients for the coconut ice pops to the jar of a blender, and turn on until combined. Fill another third of your popsicle molds with this mixture. Freeze until solid (or at least extremely firm); it will take another few hours.

If you didn't add the popsicle sticks already, slide them into the center of the pop once this layer has gotten just harder than slushy (after about an hour in the freezer).

green layer:

Place everything in the jar of a blender and puree until smooth, adding as much of the liquid as you need to make the mixture pourable (but not thin and runny).

I find the easiest way to get this last layer in around the popsicle sticks is to transfer it to a zippered baggie, snip off a small corner, and squeeze it in to fill the top third of the popsicle molds.

Freeze until solid, another few hours. enjoy! ♥

notes.....

**Sweeten the avocado layer generously - when food is served cold, you need a bit extra seasoning to make sweet or salty flavors shine (in applications like this, or cold soup, for example). You could substitute agave nectar, honey, splenda - just do it to taste. Sweetened condensed milk would also work.