Pumpkin Chia Pudding and Raw Chocolate Pudding Parfait Cups

Creamy, chocolaty, luscious. Yet no sugar, no flour, no oil. Yes, chocolate dreams do come true. This mousse is adaptable and can be accented with other flavors, such as orange zest (or orange oil), almond extract, or mint (leaves or extract).

Ingredients

• 1 cup avocado flesh (cut in chunks or slices, roughly 1 large or 1 – 1/2 medium avocados; be sure they are soft and ripe, not hard)
• 1/2 cup soaked raw cashews
• 1/2 cup nut milk (or other non-dairy milk if non-raw)
• 1/2 cup pitted dates
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/3 cup raw cocoa powder
• 1/2 -1 tsp pure vanilla extract (see note)
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• Pumpkin Chia Pudding
• Easy to make, healthy, and scrumptious… you just might find yourself making this pumpkin pudding year-round!
• 3/4 cup pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix, see note)
• 3/4 cup plain or vanilla unsweetenednon-dairy milk (see note)
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1-2 tbsp coconut sugar (or pinch stevia, see note)
• 3 tbsp white chia seeds (black will discolor pudding some)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• pinch ground ginger (optional, I omit it when making for the kiddos)
• 1/8 tsp sea salt (slightly rounded)
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (or vanilla seeds from one bean)
• Optional toppings: shaving of dark chocolate, vegan cookie crumbles (see note), and the Coconut Whipped Cream fromLTEV would be a phenomenal topping!

Instructions

Place all the filling ingredients in a high-powered blender and puree for a minute or so on at medium-high speed, until completely smooth and no texture of the cashews re- mains. Stop to scrape down the blender and redistribute the ingredients. Puree again until very, very smooth – like a velvety pudding. This will take a few starts and stops for scraping down, even with a high-powered blender. Once the mixture is readily churning and smooth, it’s ready.

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Pumpkin Chia Pudding

In a blender, add all ingredients.  Blend for a minute or more (depending on blender, my BlendTec pulverizes the seeds quickly), until the seeds are fully pulverized and the pudding begins to thicken (it will thicken more as it refrigerates).  Taste, and if you’d like it sweeter, add a teaspoon or two more of coconut sugar or maple syrup (not too much maple syrup or it will become loose). Transfer mixture to a large bowl/dish, and refrigerate until chilled, about 1/2 hour or more (it will thicken more with chilling, but really can be eaten straight away.).  Serve, sprinnkling with optional toppings if desired.

Milk Note:  I typically use unsweetened almond milk (either plain or vanilla) when I make this pudding.  If you are using a sweetened vanilla milk, reduce the sweetener to taste.

Pumpkin note: Canned pumpkin can really vary in consistency.  Some are thinner, others a little more loose.  I useFarmers Market brand which is very thick and dense, and bonus – organic.