Raw Chocolate Pudding

I make two different raw chocolate puddings. One is with the coconuts, both young and mature. It’s a delicious but challenging recipe because the coconuts are hard to work with and you need a VitaMix, not a blender, to make the right consistency. I was thrilled to discover a 10 minute, easy raw chocolate pudding from a book Mukti let me borrow – Naked Chocolate by David Wolfe and Shazzie.

The shocker is that it’s made with avocados. Eeeuuwww you might say. You would be wrong. Adya was actually the one who convinced me to try it. This is a fluffy, rich chocolate pudding. Many friends have taste tested it and loved it! Don’t tell anyone it’s made from avocados and they won’t know the difference.

The original recipe called for carob powder instead of cocoa powder, did not have orange juice, and used more dates. Play with it as you’d like. Raw cocoa powder and raw cacao nibs can be found in health food stores or online. I grind the nibs in a coffee grinder, it works beautifully.

Good quality avocados make all the difference! Firm, slightly soft hass avocados are probably the best choice. The health benefits from raw cacao and avocados are awesome.

Ingredients:

2 large avocados

juice from ½ an orange

12 (small to medium) dates soaked 1-3 hours

½ cup ground raw cacao nibs

½ cup raw cocoa powder

1 T vanilla

1 T agave (or more to taste)

Slice the avocados in half, remove the pits, cut into chunks and scoop out of the skin. Place all the ingredients in a food processor. Process until fluffy! If it requires more liquid, use the soaking liquid from the dates.

Goat Cheese and Greens Quesadilla

Years ago, my friend Paula made some version of this for an Oscars party and we loved it. I think she used shallots (that would be tasty) and used something other than greens, but my memory is fuzzy. This is a pretty fast recipe, you can even make the greens ahead of time if you like (just warm them up before you assemble the quesadillas.) We like the taste of Trader Joe’s spelt tortillas, any kind of tortilla would be nice. We also like to serve this with a combination of Trader Joe’s green salsa and my homemade pico de gallo (recipe under “Bear’s Favorite Fish Tacos” below). Quick note about the greens; just a few drops of a mild hot sauce adds a lot of flavor without a lot of heat.

Ingredients:

6-7 medium tortillas

1 pkg soft goat cheese (chevre)

dried oregano

½ large yellow onion, cut into quarters and thinly sliced

1 bunch collard greens, thoroughly rinsed and chopped

1 bunch arugula, thoroughly rinsed and chopped

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

olive oil

hot sauce (or a mix of lemon juice and paprika)

salt

Saute the onions with a bit of salt in olive oil on medium heat until softened. Add the collard greens and stir occasionally until they begin to wilt. Add small amounts of water as necessary to cook the greens until they are tender. Add the red peppers and arugula and cook until the arugula wilts completely and the peppers begin to get soft. Add hot sauce and salt to taste. Remove from heat.

Heat a medium skillet, brushed with olive oil, on medium to medium high heat (depending on your stove). Evenly spread goat cheese on a tortilla and lightly sprinkle it with oregano. Place the tortilla in the heated pan and cook until the tortilla gets a little brown and the goat cheese begins to melt or soften. (Meanwhile, get the next tortilla ready.) Add some greens to one half of the tortilla and fold in half. Remove from the pan and start the next one! Repeat until goat cheese and filling are used up.