Avocado Orange Licuados and Cookbook Giveaway!

Licuados or batidos are refreshing Latin style smoothies similar to the Vietnamese sinh to. They tend to be on the lighter side due to the use of milk and less sweet with the use agave syrup or sugar rather then condensed milk. Apparently these licuados are ubiquitous in Mexico and often found at street corners. At a recent cooking demonstrating by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feninger, the Too Hot Tamales, introduced us to their version of an avocodo and orange licuado–it was deliciously refreshing and a wonderful way to use ripe avocados. With the hot sunny weather here in LA and Cinco de Mayo coming up, we found the perfect antidote.

It’s best to use freshly squeezed orange and lemon juice for the freshest taste, but if you’re running short on time or need to make a big batch, then it would be acceptable to use bottled juices.
Avocado and Orange Licuado (from Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feninger)
Printable Recipe
- 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon
- 1/4 cup agave syrup (if not available can substitute with honey or sugar)
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated orange zest
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups ice
- 1 1/2 ripe California avocados, seeded and peeled
- 1 cup milk
- cookies (short bread cookies are great–we used some love letters egg rolls)
- salt (margarita salt preferable), sugar (super fine preferable), chili powder
In a blender, combine the orange juice, lemon juice, agave syrup, orange zest and salt with the ice and blend thoroughly. Then add the avocado and milk and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the sweetness and orange zest if needed. Pour into rimmed glasses and serve immediately with desired cookies.

To add an alcoholic touch to this perfectly healthy drink (everything in moderation right?) try adding a small amount of tequila to the licuado. Did you know that over 80 million pounds of avocados are consumed on Cinco de Mayo? No doubt the vast majority will go towards guacamole, but save some avocados and make these deliciously refreshing licuados to liven your Cinco de Mayo!

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