Vegan Banana Pudding

In honor of National Vegan AND National Banana Pudding Month, we recently did a segment where we combined the two into a demo for Vegan Banana Pudding. Not only are you getting the benefit of the potassium, vitamin C and B6 from the banana but also the creamy texture it lends to this dessert! It’s a quick, no-added sugar dessert to eat when you have a craving and is perfect to share with others. If you are fans of chocolate like we are, you’ll notice how the cacao powder and nibs elevate this dessert to make it feel like a true treat. Top with your favorite fruit (our seasonal favorite is juicy pomegranate) and chopped nuts and enjoy!

Ingredients
1 cup cashews
2 frozen bananas
1 fresh banana
2 medjool dates
1/2 cup coconut cream
1.5 tbsp cacao or cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
Blend and serve chilled. Enjoy!

Recipe: Celebrity Couple! Choco-cado Cookies

When celebrities get together, the press loves to dub them with a cute and catchy portmanteau; Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s ‘Brangelina’ being one of the most well-known. Well they need to move over because chocolate and avocado or ‘Choco-cado’ have once again proven themselves a yummy pairing, deserving of the spotlight. We’ve already seen them come together for a delectable pudding and we’re starting to think these two are suited for a long-term, possibly exclusive, relationship.

Do you know what this means? In less than 15 minutes, this recipe makes it possible to fully enjoy some dark, rich cacao along with some creamy, (healthy) fatty avocado in a fudgy cookie form. It doesn’t even have flour!

“Incroyable!” say the French readers. “Ausgezeichnet!” say the Germans. And you? Well, you may have your mouth too full of cookies to exclaim anything. That’s okay, we can all envision the look of bliss crossing your face.

Let’s dive in, shall we?

Prep time: < 5 minutes
Baking time: about 8-10 minutes
Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dark cacao or cocoa powder (we used Nativas Naturals cacao powder)
• 2/3 cup ripened avocado flesh, mashed
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup coconut sugar, depending on your desired sweetness
• 2/3 of bar dark chocolate, cut into small chunks (we used a chocolate bar with 88% cocoa content)
• 1 egg (or 1 tbsp ground flaxseed and 2.5 tbsp water mixed together as vegan egg-less option)
• ½ tsp. baking soda

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°. With a hand mixer/food processor/vivacious Vitamix blend avocado and coconut sugar, then egg. Add cacao powder and baking soda to mix and then stir in dark chocolate chunks. Try not to salivate over the bowl. Use coconut oil to grease baking pan; dollop cookie dough mix on pan and flatten with spoon. Bake for 8-10 minutes and then cool them down; unlike most cookies, these taste better after 30 minutes or so in the fridge. Makes 10-12 cookies.

P.S. Not gonna lie, we made these babies into ice cream (dairy-free) sandwiches. More on that later 🙂

Recipe: Butternut Squash + Apple Soup

I think we’re ready to admit: it’s autumn. A chill in the air, crunchy leaves underfoot, and the season’s bountiful harvest all point to one mission – making one of our favorite soups. Grab some squash from your farmers’ market or from your backyard and we’ll begin!

Too tiny to use but oh-so-cute!

Prep & cook time: 30 min
Servings: about 8
Ingredients
3-4 tablespoons high-quality butter or olive oil (for a dairy-free option)
4 lbs butternut squash, roasted (average butternut squash weighs 2-3lbs so plan accordingly)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 apples, chopped
1/2 cup water or vegetable broth
3/4 tsp cinnamon
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup pumpkin seeds (topping)

Instructions
Roast butternut squash first. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, cut squash open lengthwise and remove seeds. Place squash upside-down on baking sheet and pour about 1/2 cup water on the bottom of baking sheet (or enough so it surrounds squash and helps to steam it). Roast 25-30 minutes, until flesh is fork-tender.

Meanwhile, melt butter/olive oil in pot over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender (about 8 minutes). Add the roasted squash, apples, and water/vegetable broth. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add cinnamon and turn off burner to cool food slightly. Then, in small batches, transfer mixture from pot to a high-speed blender and puree until smooth. If too thick, add more liquid. Season with salt & pepper, transfer to serving bowl and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds. Optional: serve with blue corn chips or whole grain crackers.