Lady Lessons and Vegan Chocolate Pudding

As the weeks go by and the skin on my belly feels more like that of a drum than a means to contain my organs, I rejoice that I have passed the halfway point of pregnancy...

...said no one ever.

On the bright side, Betty and Alice seem to be getting along a little bit better, thanks to the feline pheromone diffuser we installed to reduce anxiety and discourage Alice from pooping on the floor.

UPDATE:  Between the time I wrote this entry and posted it, Betty and Alice have once again regressed in their usual pattern.  One step forward, two steps back...  Such is the life of a gangster.

BESTIES!
(This was right before Alice growled at Betty and jumped off the perch.)

Cat life is stressful.  To prove my point:

They make it look so easy.

Recently, Habibi and I had our first ultrasound appointment.  It was there that we discovered that we would be welcoming yet another girl into the family!  It seems that Habibi's lot in life it to be surrounded by beautiful women:  me (duh), Betty, Alice, Baby Hulk(ette)...  I promise we will get a boy dog some day.

**We are about 80-90% certain we have a girl on our hands so, numerous fans of mine, keep your receipts!**

Now, I am no domestic goddess...perhaps a domestic demi-goddess at best, since I don't have an Etsy store, my "crafting" is limited to coloring books and I hate painting furniture.  Still, I think I'll be able to teach our little girl a thing or two about being a lady.  Furthermore, she'll have Betty and Alice as guides.  Once she gets done chasing catnip mice around the living room and licking her butt, she might be willing to listen to what they have to say.  In fact, I think it was a Disney kitty who best summed up what it means to be a lady:

Thank you, Marie, for your sage cat-wisdom.

Despite the fact that I do not scrapbook or sew (true story:  I once sewed my finger into a sewing machine), I do enjoy a few domestic pastimes.  If you have read any of my most recent posts, you will notice that I have been on a dessert-preparing kick.  While I typically favor the preparation of savory dishes, I tend to prefer consuming sweet treats.  It's a weakness for which I hope my daughter does not have to pay.

On that note, here is a chocolate pudding recipe I came across a couple of months ago.  It includes a variety of my favorite things that I would not normally have thought to combine - think cocoa powder, maple syrup and avocados...

Vegan Chocolate Pudding
Anouchka's adaption from shape.com and Oh She Glows

Ingredients

• 2 medium avocados, pitted and scooped out
• 1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tbsp smooth peanut butter (I used reduced sodium Better Than Peanut Butter)
• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder (used as a thickener, probably optional)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• Chocolate chips, melted - up to 1 cup (optional)

To make

Place all filling ingredients (except chocolate chips) into a blender or food processor.  Process until smooth.  (For a more intense version, add chocolate chips that have been melted in the microwave.)

This pudding has a deliciously thick and creamy texture.
At this point, it still needs to be processed a bit more to pulverize any remaining avocado chunks.

Anouchka's Tip

This recipe makes about 1.5 cups of creamy, chocolate-y pudding.  I think it is best served right away, as my test recipe seemed to lose some of the chocolate-y flavor after being refrigerated.  (I did not add the chocolate chips, as it had the perfect bittersweet taste of dark chocolate directly out of the food processor.)

I dare you NOT to risk cutting your tongue by licking the blades on the food processor!

Serving suggestions

• Serve about 1/4 cup of pudding in gelato cups with a couple of chocolate chips and/or 1/4-1/2 of a graham cracker wedged in the side.
• Use as a dip for strawberries/raspberries for a lighter dessert or mid-afternoon pick-me-up.
• Use as a spread for cookies (snack/dessert) or waffles (breakfast).

NOTE:  This recipe isn't for everyone as it is somewhat unusual.  (Habibi, for instance, had a hard time getting past the fact that there were avocados in the chocolate...YAY MORE FOR ME!!!)  I personally love it, and the fact that it is a vegan pudding, which of course means NO DAIRY!