Vegan Chocolate Pudding - My Avocado's Fate

I have a confessions: I am one of the few vegans that don't actually like avocado. Never been a fan of guacamole, even though I've tried it every single time it's been put in front of me alongside some deliciously crispy tortilla chips. When I'd get sushi (the rolls with cucumber and avocado), I'd pick out the avocado and replace it with a heaping chunk of wasabi. (MMM, spicy...)

Yet for some reason, I still purchased an avocado at the grocery store last time I was out. It's been sitting on my counter for a few days (it wasn't ripe, so it had some time). For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what to do with it. So I Google'd. Then I Google'd some more. Then I came across this recipe for chocolate pudding. I didn't quite follow the recipe posted, but I did use it as a basis for this heavenly creation.

So, now I will share with you all, the amazingness of this pudding. Normally, I wouldn't be so overly confident about a recipe, but if you knew how much I disliked avocado, you'd be shocked to see me devour this stuff.

I'm pretty sure this recipe makes two, maybe even three, big servings... But let's just say it's one serving, okay? ;)

Vegan Chocolate Pudding - Hello, Avocado! 

Ingredients:

• 1 very ripe avocado
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp agave nectar (I used cinnamon flavoured agave)
• 4 pitted dates
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or any type of milk you like: hemp, rice, coconut, etc.)
• 2 tbsp raw cacao nibs 

Method: 

• Place all ingredients except the raw cacao nibs into a food processor, and process until smooth. 
• Add the raw cacao nibs, and pulse twice to gently mix the nibs in with the pudding, but don't over process!
• Pour everything into a bowl, and place in the fridge for as long as you wish... Well, the longest you put it in the fridge for should be overnight. Then eat it the next day.
• Serve in a fancy little bowl, topped with whatever you like! I decided to eat this with some whipped cream and raw cacao nibs sprinkled on top!

I know, you may be thinking, "Nikki. Whipped cream isn't vegan. Why are you eating that?" Well let me tell you something! This isn't just any old "dairy" whipped cream. This is whipped RICE cream! (I know, I know... Mind = blown.) I saw this stuff (pictured below) when I was picking up some groceries yesterday, and I couldn't believe what I was looking at. I literally stood there for a solid 10 minutes just examining the can of this stuff. I wouldn't recommend gorging out on this stuff. Just because it's vegan, doesn't mean it's 100% healthy... But WOW, you can have your cake whipped cream, and eat it too! This makes for one Happy Nikki. I picked this stuff up at The Big Carrot on the Danforth in Toronto. I'm not too sure where else you can get it to be honest... Anyways, here's some beautiful pictures that I managed to snap before I ate the whole batch of pudding. I'm comfortable enough with myself to admit to that. Don't judge. (Okay, I joke... The rest of the pudding is still in the fridge...)

So pretty! :) Avocado chocolate pudding topped with rice whip, and raw cacao nibs! YUM!

Ok, I had to dig into this beautiful piece of heaven...

...And then I had to dig some more...

...And I kept on digging... I couldn't help myself...

And now, a kiss... Oh, Chocolate, how I love thee... 

The pictures of the pudding after the previous image were pretty much just me devouring it in a fashion that closely resembles Golem from Lord of the Rings, and that whole "my precious" thing... You know what I'm talking about... So I'll leave those images out for the sake of my maintenance of at least a somewhat normal public image, haha...

THIS STUFF is amazing. I don't know how they did it, but they managed to make it almost 100% perfect. I don't suggest eating stuff like this on a regular basis, because really, it's junk food. Vegan or not. But it's a nice treat! :)