Not So Nice with Rice

Today is my birthday - a special day I share with National Chocolate Pudding Day.  And over the past few years, I've attempted to make a pudding in celebration, even though pudding is not my cup of tea (or I should say, cup of "chocolate").  I decided to continue the tradition again this year, but this year, my pudding experiment with rice didn't turn out so nice.

After the yummy success last year with the Vegan Peanut Butter Pudding, I thought about repeating and enjoying it again.  However, the annual pudding experiment is all about trying something new and so I decided to give chocolate rice pudding a try this year.

I downloaded a recipe from Chocoblog a few years ago which looked and sounded yum (see picture above).  It could also be easily "veganized" by substituting soy milk for cow milk and so rice pudding here we come.

I have to admit I've never made rice pudding before, let alone a chocolate vegan version, so this would all be a grand experiment, even though my experiments with chocolate baking tend to not always be very successful. 

After washing 1/3 cup rice, I whisked together 1/4 cup soy milk with 1/4 cup cocoa powder (organic and free trade - my new standard for chocolate) to form a paste.  I then added the remaining 3 cups of soy milk and 1/4 cup sugar.  3 1/4 cup milk seemed like a lot of milk for 1/3 cup of rice, but that is the recipe and so I followed it.

I added the milk mixture to the rice in a pot and attempted to bring it to a boil on medium heat.  Easy enough instructions, but this is where the problem starts.  The problem: in 2 words - "My stove". 

I shouldn't really say "my stove" for it is the camp's stove in my camp-provided housing.  It is unfortunately the stove I need to use.  The problem is the burner.  There is simply no control over the heat.  In spite turning the nob to "low," it's either on or off.  There's no such thing as "medium", let alone simmer.

I forgot about this when I decided this grand chocolate rice pudding experiment.  I was able to bring the pot to a boil.  Covered it and then turned the heat down.

Now, if I had a normal stove, I am sure that after simmering on low for 35 minutes covered, stirring every 5 minutes, I could then uncover it and cook it for another 10 minutes and have a beautiful chocolate rice pudding.

However, given my stove, I needed to stir continuously, and when left covered on "low", the pot began to over boil creating a big chocolate mess all over the stove.  (May be that's why 3 1/4 cups of milk is needed!)  I left the pot uncovered, continued to stir often, and after 45 minutes, simply decided to give up.  The liquid was reducing down way too much and beginning to burn, and the rice still had not cooked through.

While it looked okay in a bowl, the rice was chewy.  Though the chocolate flavor had developed, not too sweet and not burnt, the pudding itself was thick and a bit studgy.  Decent in taste, but not very pleasant in texture.  If my stove worked properly, chances are good this would have been good.  May be I should try it in my rice cooker next time.  There's a thought.

Over the coming days, I'll probably try adding some nut milk to this chocolate rice pudding, microwaving it to warm it up and cook the rice, and drink it like a hot chocolate - a hot chocolate horchata.

Luckily, my vegan chocolate chip bread turned out well today.  (I still need to post that recipe.)  It was a not a total kitchen disaster on this birthday, on this National Chocolate Pudding Day. 

Happy 4 Pudding

Two years ago I discovered that my birthday (June 26th) coincides with National Chocolate Pudding Day.  And so, for the past 2 years, I've tried my hand at vegan chocolate pudding; and for the past 2 years, I've not been a big fan of my attempts.  The raw pudding with avocado wasn't bad, but it was a bit odd and something I've had no desire to try again.  The low-fat pudding with tofu last year was healthy, but it lacked the dark chocolate punch I enjoy.

To be honest, after sampling last year's offering 364 days ago, I've not had any desire to try a new chocolate pudding.  This year's birthday chocolate pudding, however, is changing my mind about chocolate pudding as a dessert of choice.  It is a dessert I'd make again and serve to friends.  It is simple (the hardest part was getting the peanut butter off the spoon and into the pot)!  It takes about 4 minutes to make, has only 4 ingredients, easily serves 4, and rates 4 (out of 5) on the yummy scale.  And it's vegan!

Through the year I collect chocolate pudding recipes for this birthday tradition.  And for this year, the 4 Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding posted by Food Doodles stood out.  I have come to love chocolate and peanut butter, and most important, I had all the ingredients I needed -- sort of. 

Knowing my taste pallet and being limited by my pantry, I adapted the recipe by using bittersweet chocolate chips (60% cacao) and soy milk, rather than semi-sweet chips and almond milk.  The recipe is flexible enough so that you could use almost any chocolate chip or nut milk you enjoy or have on hand.  In terms of the nut milk, while soy worked well as a substitute for almond, I don't know if coconut milk would work as it tends to be more watery and not as creamy as soy or almond.  If you try coconut, let me know how it turns out.  (And for you non-vegans, I have a feeling that cow milk would work too.)

First, I poured 1 1/3 cups of soy milk into a medium sauce pan and added 5 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter.  On low heat, I melted the peanut butter, whisking it smooth, then added 1 cup of bittersweet chocolate chips and 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract.  I stirred continuously until the chips were melted, then removed from heat and whisked the chocolatey mixture until smooth.

The aroma of the dark chocolate was very pronounced and I couldn't wait until I finished ladeling the mixture into four 5-oz. ramekins so that I could licked the pot clean (which of course I did!)  The taste matched the smell as the warm pudding has a wonderful dark chocolate bite which is rounded out by the subtle taste of peanut butter. I was curious to see if the cooled "finished" pudding would have the same richness.  I would need to wait 1-2 hours to see as I covered the ramekins and placed them in the fridge to cool.

Though chocolate and peanut butter may cause you to think, "Reese's Peanut Butter Cup", this Chocolate Peanut Butter pudding elevates that classic to a new adult dessert level.  The bittersweet chocolate and unsalted natural peanut butter I used create a mature chocolatey bite that is not sugary sweet, but richly satisfying for the true chocoholic.  The texture is thick and creamy with a decadence that melts in your mouth.  There is a guilty pleasure with each bite, but with no added sugar, eggs, whole milk, or cream, this pudding is almost good for you.  Or at least, you won't miss all the fattening ingredients in a traditionally rich pudding.

While this recipe is very similar to my Chocolate Silk Pie recipe, the peanut butter adds a new undertone, and with a more "milk to chocolate ratio", the pudding is less dense and more silky on the tongue.  It is an excellent chocolate pudding for adults who like chocolate and peanut butter -- like me!  And thus, it is a perfect chocolate pudding for vegan-me as I celebrate another birthday.  Happy Happy to me!

The ingredients:

• 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (or semi-sweet or combination, depending on your preferences and what you have available)
• 5 T smooth peanut butter (use a natural unsalted peanut butter with no extra sugar if you can)
• 1 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (or soy)
• 2 t pure vanilla extract

The directions:

1. In a small pot over medium heat whisk together the almond milk and peanut butter. Heat till the peanut butter melts.
2. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla and whisk until chips are melted.
3. Remove from the heat and whisk until everything is smooth.
4. Scoop into individual bowls or four 5 oz. ramekins and cover. The pudding will be runny, but will firm up in the fridge.
5. Chill at least one hour (or until firm) and serve cold.    

* A special thanks to my friend Tony for taking the more professional, up-close shots of this pudding (the first and last photo in this blog).  We had fun "food-styling" this dessert!

Happy Pudding Day to Me

I can't say that I'm a big fan of chocolate pudding, but last year, when I discovered that my birthday coincides with National Chocolate Pudding Day, I knew that I needed to grow more familiar with this dessert. Thus, I started a new tradition of trying a vegan chocolate pudding recipe each year to celebrate my birthday, and to celebrate chocolate pudding. Go us!

Last year, my attempt didn't sell me on chocolate pudding. And to be honest, I've not tasted a chocolate pudding since. But with another birthday here, I knew I need to make another go at it.

Being busy with family in town, I wanted to make something very fast and simple, yet still be healthy and vegan. Even though I did collect some recipes to try this year, while browsing the chocolate section at New Leaf Community Market, something caught my eye -- Mori-Nu Mates Chocolate Pudding mix.

According to the package, it's simply add tofu and water, blend, and its done. It couldn't be more simple. And it's versatile. Double the recipe, decrease the water and you can make a chocolate pie filling (though I doubt it will be as yummy as mine!)

Adding to the intrigue of this "instant" chocolate pudding mix, it is vegan and all natural; it has no refined sugar, is low in fat, high in protein, and has no cholesterol. In other words, for a chocolate pudding, it's actually fairly healthy. And for only $1.89 for the mix, and $1.29 for the tofu (which was on sale), it was a good price. I knew I needed to give this a try. Happy Birthday Pudding for just over $3.00! (And it serves 4.)

Following the directions, I blended the 12.03 oz box of Silken Lite Tofu with 4 tablespoons of water in my food processor. Once creamy, I added the pudding powder and continued to blend, stopping the machine, scraping the sides, stirring, and then continuing to blend.

Initially, the pudding looked grainy, but as instructed, after 2 minutes of blending, the pudding began to look light and creamy. I was impressed. In under 5 minutes, I had pudding.

Though it passed the fast and simple test, the real test would be the taste. The directions say to "Scoop into pudding cups and chill." However, I decided to give it an initial try in the processor at room temperature.

In spite not having your typical milk or dairy, this pudding was very creamy in its texture as well as in its taste. There was a lightness to the chocolate flavor, not so much in terms of being a milk chocolate flavor, but a mildness that you'd find in a mousse. The chocolate was subtle in its tones, and tended to highlight the flavor of the dutch chocolate cocoa powder it contained. The chocolate taste was not overly sweet, and had a subtle coconut accent. It was nice, but most important, it did not have that tofu aftertaste that some do not like.

After scooping the contents into containers and letting them chill, I licked the food processor clean (well, nearly clean).

At my birthday dinner, I brought out this chocolate pudding for my family to try. Refrigeration did not change the flavor. While the adults were not so keen on the taste, my nieces however loved it and goobled it up, preferring the pudding to the chocolate cake they helped make! They even liked this pudding better than the one they had the day before in a kid's meal at Six-Flags Discovery Kingdom.

Overall, the Mori-Nu Mates Chocolate Pudding was light, creamy, and mild -- very different from the dark, dense, and bittersweet flavors that I enjoy in a chocolate cake. With its creamy chocolate subtlety, this instant vegan chocolate pudding paired nicely with the homemade vegan chocolate birthday cake, and would make a delicious filling for a 2-layered cake. As a pudding, it was enjoyable and something that I'd try again, especially since it is healthy and my nieces did love it. Not a bad chocolate pudding to celebrate 2 special occasions on this important June day!

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.