We had a bit of an avocado sitch at our house last week…
I bought a few avocados at the farmers market on Saturday. I picked up a few more at Costco Monday morning (they have a bag of five organic avocados for a great price) then, unbeknownst to me, my husband bought avocados at our daughter’s school on Monday morning as well, for a fundraiser they were doing… $1 an avocado… he bought 10.
These weren’t just regular avocados either, they were the kind with the edible skin, from the farm, and they were LARGE and in charge. Exhibit A…
I mean, if this pic doesn’t illustrate the importance of communication in a marriage, I don’t know what does.
If you’re going to buy avocados, IN EXCESS, you should probably run that by your spouse first. This is the kind of thing couples split over, you know? First it’s excessive avocado buying, next it’s a new Maserati in the driveway, or something. I mean, where does it end?!
Fortunately for my husband… I love avocados and so do our kids, so I let this one slide and got to cooking. I had plenty of ideas on how to put these green goodies to good use and first up was going to be… dessert!
Chocolate pudding is one of our favorite treats. You would be amazed how the creamy avocado centers can transform into a HEALTHY, velvety pudding.
Have you seen what’s in standard Jello pudding found at the store? Things like modified food starch, cocoa processed with alkali (huh?), artificial flavors, salt, tetrasodium pyrophosphate (I think that’s dinosaur parts), and a host of dyes and sugar. No way would I feel good about giving that to my kids… or even the family pet!
This dish you can certainly feel good about and it’s made with just 5 all-natural ingredients!
You just blend some avocados in a food processor or blender.
Add in some cacao powder (a raw, unprocessed powder that’s loaded with antioxidants), almond milk, vanilla and grade B maple syrup. Let it chill in the fridge for 20 minutes and just like that, you have… chocolate pudding!
You can eat it plain or sprinkle some extra yummies on top.
I like it just like this, but my kids like to spruce it up with raw, unsweetened coconut flakes.
If you want to take it a step further, add in some chocolate chips.
I always have the really dark chocolate chips on-hand, or a dark chocolate bar. You can use a cheese grater and grate the chocolate bar over the top. Or, if you like to stay dairy free you can use vegan carob chips, like I did here.
And there you have it!
A dessert that is loaded with AVO-CA-DOS! A nutritious fruit packed with 20 vitamins and minerals and antioxidants. What kid (or adult) wouldn’t want to dive into that?! Try it!
Here’s what you’ll need for my Cacao Avocado Pudding:
Ingredients:
- 3 avocados (roughly 2 cups)
- 1/4 c. almond milk
- 1/4 c. cacao powder
- 2 Tbsp grade b maple syrup
- 2 tsp non alcohol vanilla
- 3 Tbsp vegan dark chocolate chips (optional, topping)
- 2-3 Tbsp raw coconut flakes (optional, topping)
~Yields a little over 2 cups, 2-3 servings.
Directions:
- Place all the ingredients, except your toppings, in a food processor or blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Place pudding in an air tight container, place container in fridge, let it set up for 20 minutes before serving.
- Store and serve this from the fridge. Will last a few days sealed.
Notes**
*The flavors enhance as it sets up in the fridge. You can adjust the sweetness after it has set up if you want it sweeter. Just add in another tablespoon of syrup, stir it in by hand.
*If you don’t have cacao powder, cocoa powder works as well, it’s just not as rich in nutrients.
