Celebrating Pudding. Celebrating Me.

Today, June 26th is not only my birthday, but it is also National Chocolate Pudding Day, and thus, it is a day to celebrate. Though chocolate PUDDING is far from being one of my favorite desserts, it is CHOCOLATE and since National Chocolate Pudding Day and my birthday will be forever linked, I figure I should learn to embrace chocolate pudding, and may be, just may be, even come to enjoy it.

It didn't happen this year. May be next.

Needing to be up and out of the house early for the final day of my first doctoral course, I needed a quick and easy recipe. Being a high raw, living food vegan, I decided to try a raw vegan chocolate pudding recipe I found online. The recipe appeared quick and easy; sounded intriguing. And most importantly, I had all the necessary ingredients - raw agave nectar, raw cacao powder, vanilla, a dash of salt, water, and of course, an avocado.

Yes, an avocado.

Now I admit that avocado is not the first ingredient I think of when making chocolate pudding. But avocados in recipes are considered "flavor-neutral" in that they take on the flavors with which they are mixed. They provide a creamy texture when blended, contain nearly 20 essential nutrients, are a form of healthy fat, and thus recommended by the American Health Association. In other words, avocados are good for you. Thus, avocados can make a healthy, good for you chocolate pudding. I knew I needed to give this recipe a try.

Into my Tribest Personal blender went the avocado, 3 heaping tablespoons of the cacao, 1/3 cup of agave, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and about 1/2 cup of water. Though I am used to drinking green smoothies, I admit it that the green concoction looked a bit odd, but I screwed on the lid and snapped the container in place. After about a minute of blending, I was surprised to find what looked like a thick and creamy chocolate pudding.

I was impressed. In terms of taste, this raw chocolate pudding was not like the overly sweetened, store bought pudding mix with all sorts of additives and artificial binders. There was a definite dark chocolate bite - a lot like a high percentage cacao chocolate bar. There were subtle fruity acidic notes, which come from the "premier Ecuadorian" cacao beans used in the Divine Organics cacao powder I used.

Like coffee beans and wine grapes, cacao beans vary in their flavor profiles according to their source. Growing conditions in different region create vintage flavors which may be slightly different each year. Single-source chocolate bars are the latest rage among fine chocolate connoisseurs. For example, while beans from the Dominican Republic are known for their earthy flavors and those from Madagascar fruity, beans from Grenada have a more subtle spicy taste with some South American beans too exotic for American palates.

This raw chocolate pudding was definitely an adult chocolate pudding in its flavor composition, and its rich creamy texture. Though it was enjoyable, after a few sampling bites, I had my fill. In addition, with controversy in the raw food community regarding the health benefits and risks eating raw cacao, I didn't want to overdo it.

I must admit, this raw vegan chocolate pudding wasn't bad. It was surprisingly enjoyable. But when it comes to my birthday celebration, a homemade vegan chocolate cake took the prize this year (more details to come), with a deep dark moist chocolate cake still my dessert of choice.

My attempts at another chocolate pudding will simply need to wait until next year, and really, that's okay by me.