The majority of recipes I found included banana as the sweetener. This just didn't work for me. I made this about 15 different ways and anytime I used banana the pudding made me gag. It made the pudding too gloppy. Sort of gelatinous. I like it smooth and creamy, like pudding made from milk. I have been trying to greatly reduce my consumption of milk (I think milk is what causes my dry skin, but I may be wrong) but I love love love love milk. Ice cream...pudding...cheese. I don't want to replace pudding made from milk with pudding made from soy. I think I'll gladly steer clear of all those estrogen-y hormones. Plus, I am trying to eat as much unprocessed food as possible. A good ol' avocado is pretty whole and unprocessed. The only ingredients are avocado, unsweetened cocoa powder, honey, almond milk (just enough to add enough moisture to mix in the blender without gumming up), vanilla extract, and I like to add a bit of coffee because coffee intensifies the flavor of chocolate. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate for what seems like ages (a few hours) and slowly savor each and every to-die-for bite. Mmmmmmmm.You can even freeze in a cup with a Popsicle stick shoved in the center to make an ice cold chocolate bar on hot days. I always eat mine nice and cold in a cup for breakfast. There is enough of that tasty healthy fat to keep you nice and full for the whole morning until lunch time. I alternate between garlic spinach omelets and avocado pudding in the morning for my breakfast. My favorite breakfast food is certainly the pudding. I can't wait for my breakfast tomorrow!
Too bad I only get to eat about half of what I make. My children, my adorable perfect littles, see my cup and instantly the oatmeal they were gobbling up is chopped liver. They only have eyes for my pudding. And because I am nice...because I like that they eat healthy foods, like avocado, I reluctantly dip spoonfuls of the chocolate pudding into their little gaping impossible-to-fill mouths. I would just make them their own, but I know how that works. "It's mine? So, I have to eat this? I don't want it...". What I am eating is always the most interesting delicious thing on the planet compared to their food. I used to have fried eggs in the morning and Skye would steal about half. I started making her eggs instead of the oatmeal she always gets (and loudly declares she is in need of every morning). Then starts the whining: "Mom, I don't want eggs. I'm hungry. I want my oatmeal. Why did you make eggs????" Wasted eggs. Same scenario with toast and then again with tater tots. Waste waste waste. So they get their bowls of oatmeal and I get half of a serving of pudding.
How I make it:
1 avocado
a few tablespoons or so of cocoa powder (I don't measure anything anymore)
a tablespoon or more of honey (depends on how sweet you want it)
A few tablespoons of coffee (or espresso powder or instant coffee)
A splash or so of almond milk or any other milk of choice
A splash of vanilla extract
Blend until smooth. Be sure to taste it before putting it in the fridge.
Here is the Avocado
I am very generous with the cocoa powder
I added the almond milk and honey
This is the finished product. I took a photo of the honey I use because I want to remind people to eat local honey. I bought this from my local farmer's market. It was a great price and has the potential to reduce allergies and stuff. Or so I have heard.
