Vegan....Raw....Chocolate Pudding from Beautiful-Vegan.com

Chocolate pudding that's good for you!?

You're going to freak out when I tell you that it takes only 3 minutes to prepare...

In a blender, mix:

1 avocado (pitted and peeled, of course) -should be a ripe one
3 heaping Tablespoons of raw cocoa powder (you can use normal cocoa powder if you don't have raw)- *make sure it's fair trade though!
1/3 cup raw agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or the scrapings from a vanilla bean pod)
1/2 cup water (or more depending if your blender wants more water to work or not)-sometimes it needs quite a bit more.

Make sure it's really creamy, use a spatula to get the pieces of avocado that get missed. And that's it. I know it sounds weird to make chocolate pudding with avocado, but it turns out creamy and absolutely delicious! My son's friends (who are not vegan) love it and ask me to make it when they are over. It can be used for a breakfast, snack or formal desert. Just add berries (especially strawberries) or use it as a fondue with cut up bananas and other goodies. this recipe serves 2 big bowls. 

Freeze it in a container and it looks like this when you scoop it out:

 

If it's too hard let it thaw a bit before serving.

Raw cacao has lots of antioxidants, and...
"Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins, and folic acid.  They also act as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, in food that are eaten with the fruit"

 

Avocados and Cardiovascular Disease

"Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, but a healthy diet and exercise plan may help reduce your risk of developing the life-threatening illness.  The American Heart Association (AHA) Dietary Guidelines recommend a diet that has at least five servings of fruits and vegetables, contains up to 305 of calories from fats (primarily unsaturated) and is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, trans fats, and sodium while being rich in potassium.  Avocados can help you meet the AHA dietary guidelines because they have both monosaturated and polyunsaturated fat and contain potassium." (Info taken from http://www.avocado.org/nutrition/)