Chocolate Avocado "Pudding" with Whipped Coconut Milk Solids

Crazy, vegan hippie food.  That's the first thing that popped into my head when I was making this tonight.  I eat a lot of crazy, vegan hippie food, for sure, but this is definetly decadent enough to pleasantly surprise most tasters.

I am not claiming this to be low in fat but it has very little added sugar and is completely dairy free.  After eating too much refined junk over the holidays, this Tart is craving real, minimally processed foods in a major way.  And the Tiny Tarts got kind of used to dessert this last few weeks so this was a great thing to throw in while we all wean ourselves off of sugar and back onto a balanced diet.


INGREDIENTS:

For the pudding:

Flesh of one avocado
1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
1 teaspoon coconut sugar or date sugar
1 teaspoon nutella (I know, refined and not whole but it was minimal and added a nice flavor; I think I might try looking for some hazelnut extract to use instead however)

EQUIPMENT:

Food Processor
Electric beaters/ hand mixer

For the whipped "cream":

One can of coconut milk, not lite or low fat, kept in refriderator overnight
1 teaspoon coconut sugar or date sugar
pomemgranate seeds, to garnish

*Note, since I've learned you can whip coconut milk solids like whipped cream, I keep 2 cans of this stuff in my fridge at all times!


To make pudding:

1 - Place ingredients in bowl of food processor and whip until smooth.  Taste.  Add more cocoa or a pinch more of sugar as needed.  This should taste and look like a rich, chocolate frosting.


To make whipped coconut:

1 - Place can of coconut milk in fridge overnight.  You can not shorten this by freezing, it creates lumps of fatty ick in your whipped topping (ask me how I know this...).

2 - Scoop hardened solids into the bottom of a deep bowl.  Strain off all liquid.  Save the liquid for another use (stir fry or a piña colada smoothie or something!)

3 - Use hand beater to whip until the mass has more than doubled in size.  It will be light and fluffy.  Lightly sweeten (or not, it's actually quite good all on it's own!)

Place pudding into 3 small serving dishes or shot glass and top with cream.  Garnish with pomegranate seeds.  Use small, demi spoons to enjoy this decadent real food dessert!   Think about how great your skin will look from all those yummy natural fat sources and vitamin K!


Makes 3 servings. Per Serving:
 

*Don't sweat the fat! This is a dessert. It's not something you'll eat every day but believe me, your body will better process all of that natural fat than it would tons of refined sugar from some 100 calorie snack bar. Besides, just look at all the fiber and other nutrients! This is packed full of love for sure.

Date Sugar

First, the bitch session.  I am always talking about sweeteners and begging people to get off the artificial stuff.  I am not a fan of the processed stevia stuff.  For example, did you know that the #1 ingredient in Truvia® is actually erythritol, a chemically-derived plant sugar?  It isn't the same thing as drying stevia leaves and sprinkling them over food!  Plus, I said first ingredient, meaning this "all natural" sweetener actually contains several; the third of which is "natural flavors."  Time to bust out the BS card because I am just not buying that one.  Erthritol is a sugar alcohol that is known to cause digestive upset.  And if you STILL need convincing to question its use: Coca Cola is behind the stuff.  And just to be fair, Pepsico is behind Pure Via™

The best plan to get off the sugar is to do just that: cut out refined sugars in your diet.  If you have a dessert when you go out to dinner with your wife, share it.  Don't settle for factory made sweets!  When you have dessert (which I do, say, once every 2 weeks), EAT HOMEMADE.    Seriously, why waste calories on a cookie made by a robot who doesn't love you or her product.  Heck, she doesn't even care if she stays employed.  The home baker; the serious foodie baker; the local cupcake place that says they make exotic treats using only the finest ingredients--these people do care about the quality of their food.  In between now and that slice or grandma's real apple pie, fill up on fruit.  The less sugar you eat, the more the flavor in real fruit will come to life. 


Have I made my point?  It's probably not the last time I'll visit this so I'll assume not.

In the meantime, even if we are off sugar, there are some things that we will want to make a little bit sweeter, no?    My plain, organic yogurt tastes better w/ a drizzle of raw honey as does my morning bowl of oats.  Sometimes I make a "pumpkin mousse" by blending yogurt with pumpkin and this is better with a hint of added sweet.  So are some smoothies.

The answer?  Dried, ground dates!  They have a warm flavor that  makes me think of caramel and that, my friends, is a good thing.  They also contain a healthful boost of the B vitamins and vitamin A, and are high in dietary fiber and iron. My last push here is to point out they are high in the antioxidants known as carotenoids, which are great for repairing cell damage done by free radicals. No chemically-derived stevia wannabe can claim that!

As with any sugars, you should still use this sparingly as they can cause blood sugar fluctuations.

How to Make Dried Date Sugar

1 - Using only pitted, whole dates (the already chopped ones are dusted in sugar!), chop in smaller pieces and spread out on baking sheet. 

2 - Cook in a 250 degree oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until dates have thoroughly dried out.  

3 - Set aside to cool.

4 - Pulse in food processor until you get a course texture resembling large coffee granules.  

5 - In small batches, grind in a spice grinder until powdery.  I use a coffee mill that is only used for grinding spices. 

Use as you would sugar.  It is a little rough in coffee or tea (meaning gritty) but it's a great sugar substitute in baking.   Has a caramel-like taste that is especially great with apples. 

Enjoy!