You know I love sugar. It’s in the title of my blog. I consume quite a lot of it. And I know it is not ideal. When I know it’s getting too much, and my skin starts to show signs of it, I just cut back.
I’ll forego chocolate altogether, and eat nuts and fruit for a sweet fix after a meal. (Ideally, one should be doing that most of the time…but alas! I am, at my core, a dessert-adoring, sugar-loving human.) I have tried, but while I am able to cut back, I can never really cut out dessert completely. It’s the Gretchen Rubin moderator vs abstainer theory- except I fall into neither category! I find it easier to stay off sugar completely for pockets of time, (meaning no peanut butter, no jelly, only pesto on my toast,) instead of lowering my sugar intake. After I’ve been off it for a while, I’ll start to indulge again, slowly (but surely!) And then, I am once again consuming more than I should, so I go back to abstaining for a while. It’s an unhealthy pattern, but it’s how I get by.
But…there is a way, you know. Apart from abstaining and moderating. Healthy desserts. The kind without gluten, or sugar, or dairy, like a Babycakes NYC cupcake.
I’ve been reading some special diet/healthy cooking blogs for a while now, learning more about vegan, gluten-free, whole-food and raw diets. And if you are looking to understand more about raw food, Laura Miller’s Sidesaddle Kitchen is a great resource. On her YouTube show Raw.Vegan.Not.Gross, she dishes up some pretty decadent lookin’ brownies, cake, and ice-cream, using all-natural, raw, unprocessed ingredients. While I won’t be making cauliflower pizza or walnut ‘meatballs’ anytime soon, her dessert recipes are more approachable and a good starting point if you are interested in eating raw.
Chocolate avocado pudding is nothing new- I encountered it first on Fitsugar, and was surprised at how rich and creamy it looked. Not runny, not sticky, just glossy, a little firm, and creamy- like Jell-O pudding. And after I saw Laura’s version (even glossier and creamier,) and learned the health benefits of this magic pudding, I made a trip to the grocer the next day to pick up some avocados.
I didn’t follow the recipe exactly. I left out the nama shoyu- but I did use the balsamic and increased the salt to ½ teaspoon since I was not using nama shoyu. Also, I used light olive oil instead of coconut oil, because the coconut oil here in India has a much stronger, nuttier flavour, which would be overpowering.
CHOCOLATE AVOCADO PUDDING (From Sidesaddle Kitchen.)
INGREDIENTS
- 2 large avocados, peeled and pitted
- ½ cup agave nectar or maple syrup
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
METHOD
Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Serve!
Takeaways:
♥ Convenience: I give this recipe a 10/10. It’s quick and easy and comes together in minutes, all you need is a blender and your ingredients measured out.
♥ The Health Kick: Well, it’s definitely better for you than Nigella Lawson’s chocolate pots de crème. Just avocado, natural sweetener and cocoa powder- no eggs, cream or butter, but the same dreamy, rich texture!
♥ The Taste: Hmmm. It’s good folks. Pretty darn good. But somewhere, I did feel like I was eating a chocolate-flavoured avocado. Perhaps it had to do with the quality of the cocoa powder- had I used some phancy raw cacao powder, I’m sure it would have added a richer chocolate taste.
Do you like attempting healthier desserts or would you rather indulge in old-fashioned bad-for-you desserts once in a while?
Sugar, Spice, Etc 