Have you ever eaten a good dinner and still felt like you needed something a little sweet afterwards? Or, you have friends over and suddenly everyone wants a little snack? If you are grain-free or are on the Paleo or GAPS diet you don’t eat any packaged foods so you may find yourself in a pinch! But, if you are like me you probably have some staples on hand that you could use to put together something simple, quick and satisfying!
This pudding is made from simple ingredients that most real food or grain-free folks have on hand. I whipped this up in just a few minutes and we ate it immediately. I took almost as long to make this treat as it takes to open a bag of cookies and put them on a plate — it’s that easy. I loved the taste of this as the bananas sweeten it and the stevia just adds a bit more to even out sharpness of the cocoa powder. You may like it with less stevia, or more, so taste it before you are finished processing it.
Coconut Spread
Coconut spread, also known as coconut butter or even coconut cream — it is made from processing the coconut meat into a smooth consistency. Therefore, it has both fiber and coconut oil. This is a great product for adding to shakes and puddings for texture and fat. The coconut oil that is in the spread has many important properties that make it a very healthy part of the daily diet. If you just can’t get 2 – 4 tablespoons of coconut oil into you daily diet, this is a way to get some.
Coconut oil has numerous health supporting properties
Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which is known for being antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal. Lauric and palmitic fatty acids are found in mother’s breast milk and help protect the infant against pathogens. Studies have shown the antimicrobial benefits of coconut oil.
Investigations on the effects of the medium chain triglycerides in coconut oil, on neurological diseases such Alzheimer’s, show benefits. Other research shows coconut oil to benefit epilepsy.
Isn’t coconut awesome? How do you use coconut? Leave a comment and let me know!
Chocolate Coconut Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas — well ripened with many brown spots
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder (where to buy cocoa powder)
- 3 tablespoons coconut spread (where to buy coconut spread)
- 15 drops stevia (where to buy stevia)
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon shredded coconut
- 5 – 6 crushed crispy nuts (how to make crispy nuts)
Equipment
- Mini food processor (where to buy a mini food processor)
Instructions
- In a small pot carefully melt the coconut cream until it is smooth — be aware that this will burn on a low heat so keep stirring it until melted
- Place all the ingredients except the shredded coconut and the nuts, in the mini processor and process until it is smooth
- Place the nuts into a ziplock bag and crush with the bottom of a plastic cup
- Sprinkle the nuts and shredded coconut on top of the pudding
- Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving or eat immediately
- Add fresh fruit or berries for more fun
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Where to buy high quality coconut oil and other coconut products
For more information about coconut products click here
