Vegan Chocolate Pudding

I was having a monster chocolate craving, which seems to come around every once, and I came across this recipe for vegan chocolate pudding on the Whole Living blog. I love the Whole Living magazine (a Martha Stewart publication), and I always enjoy reading their Facebook page and newsletters. It's a little unusual because it involves avocados for fat/texture, but it's really great! My only change was to add a bit of stevia to sweeten it up even more. I feel great after eating it, not heavy and sluggish like I would do post-Jello pudding.

Note: I doubled this recipe.

Avocado Chocolate Pudding (a.k.a. Chocomole!)

1 ripe avocado

6-10 dates (pitted), soaked if very hard

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

4 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder or 2 tablespoons carob powder

1/2 cup water

Here are the ingredients, added in order (avocado, then dates, then vanilla and cocoa):

While the motor is running, drizzle the water in, stopping to scrape sides of bowl if need be, until the mixture resembles a thick, chocolate pudding. Let it continue mixing until smooth and creamy. Here's what it looks like in the end:

Yum, huh? I know what you're thinking: avocados? What? The cocoa and dates completely mask the avocado flavor, and they give it a great creamy texture with a healthy spin. I'm going to try freezing the pudding to see how it turns out.

This recipe is full of healthy monounsaturated fats, fiber, potassium, and a host of phytochemicals from the cocoa, avocado, and dates that are so important for disease prevention. Give it a shot...you might be surprised at how much you enjoy it! I know I do, and it completely hit the spot for a rich, chocolate taste.