Vegan Mofo 2018 Post 23: Arroz Roce

São Tomé and Príncipe are an island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, near western coast of central Africa, with Gabon closest. The official language is Portuguese and Forro, Angolar, and Principense are also spoken. It is a hot and humid location with a few bird species and plants thriving in Africa's second smallest country. The main agricultural crop is cocoa and then palm kernels, copra, and coffee. Their cuisine is mostly beans, corn, cooked bananas, pineapple, avocado, coffee as seasoning, hot spices, and sweet potato omelettes.
I wasn't partial to making rice pudding. Once, I had a stepfather that demanded my siblings and I to eat sugared white rice. Back then, we were raised on butter and salted rice. I thought it was one of the grossest creations known to man-- well next to my hatred of ham and spam. Still, the island's popular arroz roce is divine and simple dessert. I didn't have coconut milk on hand, but So Delicious French Vanilla Coconut Milk Creamer and regular almond milk thickened the rice well enough. The kitchen smelled so sweet and fragrant, I couldn't wait to devour a bowl or two. This models the recipe from the 196Flavors blog.

Arroz Roce Ingredients and Preparation

1 1/4 cup rice
2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
pinch of salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup coconut creamer
1/2 cup almond milk

Bring rice, lemon juice, and cinnamon stick to a boil.
Add salt, sugar, cinnamon, coconut creamer, and dairy free milk.
Allow rice to thicken.

Happy Single Awareness Day & Fair Trade Approved Chocolate Avocado Pudding

A sweet divine treat to celebrate another year of 2/14.

In the words of of Lin Manuel-Miranda, "love is love is love is love is love is love is love......."
Happy Single Awareness Day for my darling attachment free friends.
Happy Valentine's Day to lucky ones joined at hearts with someone to adore and treasure whether that's a beloved beau or an adorable furry pet.
Originally, my plans were to make Food From Africa's illustrious Berbere-Spice Chocolate Pudding. Berbere, a spice blend used in Ethiopian cuisine, includes ginger, garlic, chili peppers, cumin, coriander, cardamom, fenugreek, and other ingredients. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a cheat sheet Berbere anywhere. Frontier, a popular brand for great organic spice blends, actually makes one that can be purchased on Amazon. I enjoyed reading Enem recounting a friend's Ethiopian mom handcrafting an ancient spice blend. Plus Enem's eloquent pictures are quite seductive and captured in a brilliant light. Still, her recipe saved for another day, a day in which I'll share how amazing a touch of spiciness brings to classic chocolate pudding.
There are not enough words to speak on the greatness of mixing creamy, ripened avocados with chocolate and homemade date syrup.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding Ingredients and Preparation

I used Equal Exchange's Organic Baking Cocoa which provided ample chocolaty flavor. In the meantime, I'll be searching for the perfect fair trade cacao/carob powder for future chocolate dessert recipes.

2 ripened avocados
1 11oz So Delicious Culinary Coconut Milk  (or 1 can of 14 oz coconut milk)
1/4 cup Raw Date Syrup (or maple or agave nectar or Bee Free Honee)
3 tablespoon fair trade cocoa powder (used Equal Exchange)
pinch of cinnamon

Date syrup!

Almost perfect avocado.

Blend all ingredients together, whipping it to velvety consistency. You may or may not see a heart or two in the blender. Eat promptly at warm room temperature or chill in the refrigerator for later.

Trying to make a heart, but failed. Chocolate avocado pudding is topped with Nature's Path Love Crunch Premium Organic Granola in Chocolate & Red Berries and pieces of Tazo Chocolate's Raspberry Crunch Bar.

Yummy blissful dessert waits for no one. Enjoy.

Vegan Mofo Day #10: Pumpkin Peanut Butter Pudding

Two opposing walks of life come together for pudding purposes.

Mesh. Mesh. Mesh.
The latest Vegan Mofo prompt encourages us creative vegans to celebrate joining cuisines together. Well, I'm combining two different ingredients with similar textures for a good fit today. My current obsessions certainly make for a deliciously thick dessert. Sweetened with Bee Free's sticky syrupy Honee (thank you to the apples), this scrumptious autumn treat meets jelly's old-time boo provides a unique flavor that one cannot expect. They seem to work well, bounce ideas off each other on the taste buds. Decadently rich pudding, sans spicy flare (though one can add cinnamon, ginger, or pumpkin pie spice), proves that the best of both worlds can build a wonderful future together.
I would have never of considering mixing peanut butter with pumpkin. Somehow this works beautifully.
Recipe below serves one ravenous person.

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Pudding Ingredients and Preparation

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoon crunchy peanut butter
1 tablespoon Bee Free Honee
1 cup almond milk

Whip ingredients up in a blender.
Scoop out and chill (or eat at room temperature like me).

Smooth and creamy, with a bit of peanuts underneath. Pretty tasty.

Luxurious, silky like a forbidden dream.

Geniuses & Chunky Chocolate Banana Pudding

A delicious treat for chocobananaholics out there!

My landlord can be very nice. Too nice at times.
After I revealed being accepted into the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts MFA Program, he told me something quite surprising.  
"I always knew you were a genius," he said. "I knew it the first day I met you. I said to myself  'this girl is going to go places.'"
It's outrageous to say such a thing aloud. However, it's incredibly humbling praise. Won't lie about that. Of course he then rambled on about oddities and such.... This notion that an eccentric person tip toeing away from stereotype and superficial molds is profound. I simply move to the beat of an inner kettle drum and strive to go forward on a path that promises a positive, creative direction. 
Ages ago, I learned more at a two day workshop at the good ole Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts- drawing with Edgar Jerins! A fascinating artist with an acting wife and two darling daughters- Ruby (Nurse Jackie, Deception) and Sterling Jerins (Shutter Island, The Conjuring), Edgar Jerins gave awesome pointers on perspective and even took a few minutes to visit my studio to discuss decision making via color choices and materials. It was the first time that anyone has ever suggested that I use a large, clean disposable paper palette (my critics often suggest big pieces of glass). One thing that I don't do often enough is clean my brushes. Dried, crisp death can be averted. Jerins also told me to build up luminosity- adding more light values. In my paintings there is no light. Only darkness. Apparently, titanium white kills colors. Zinc white is in. Little tidbits that can help me enrich my artistic practice. I'll always treasure that precious allotted time.

Jerins showing perspective method using string.

Jerins teaching how to shift eyes in different direction.

Jerins posted our class photo to the Facebook world.

In between learning that I'm a genius (insert head scratching), how to create "good" art, and writing about these wonderful experiences, one does tend to become famished. Maybe that's just me. I'm always hungry. Eating out is great and all- convenient more or less, but being in the kitchen, preparing my own meals is so satisfying. It's like going to galleries and admiring inspiring art that drives desire to make art as soon as possible. Is that absurd to enjoy restaurant food yet crave your own?
Lately, I've paired bananas and chocolate. Made incredible chocolate sauced bananas, chocolate banana pancakes and this amazing pudding. This week, I plan to post these experimental recipes. Sharing is caring. Bananas are a terrific source of many feel good vitamins and minerals. Chocolate is too. (Hold in that coughing). But umm.... this isn't a healthy dish here. No apologies. Chunky Chocolate Banana Pudding promises to be all guilty and nothing much else. Oh, wait. It's delicious! SOooooooooooo delicious! Thick, rich, and sinfully sweet, expect a chocolate coated banana in every chilled bite. Worthy of bowl licks and pats on the back. For kicking variation, add a smidgeon of cinnamon or ginger.

Chunky Chocolate Banana Pudding Ingredients and Preparation

We are all gathered here today to join these ingredients in holy matrimony.

1/3 cup So Delicious Culinary Coconut Milk
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 bananas, ripened
1 teaspoon vanilla

Bring milks and sugar to a boil.
Add cocoa powder.
Inside a small bowl, mash bananas with vanilla.

Bring cocoa, brown sugar, and milk to a modest boil on medium heat.

Stir in mashed banana mixture. Blend evenly. Turn off heat. You can either choose to puree in a blender or food processor or keep it at the chunkier consistency. Pour into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 6 hours.

Serve chilled. I topped it off with cold sliced bananas and walnut pieces.

Vegan Mofo Day 14: Raw Peanut Butter And Banana Pudding

Day 14 already?

My little brother turned 29 yesterday.
Sometimes I cannot believe we're getting up the ladder. Wasn't it only an hour ago that we played with our Barbie dolls and Transformers, making up stories long after Saturday morning cartoons went off the air? Time certainly flies. Okay, seriously, an hour ago, I truly was playing with a Barbie though...
So yes, we're the same age. Technical "twins" until October rears her beautiful autumn head. And then, the cycle repeats. My older brother won't turn 31 until November 4th.
I have spotted bananas perfuming the kitchen much to the horror of the roomies. They don't know (now they do) that those pesky brown bruises on a banana are the best signs that they're full of good, nutritious vitamins and ready to be eaten. Now I've been living in Philadelphia for about four weeks now and can honestly state that I miss the blender terribly. I've frolicked the thrift shops for a cheap one, but to no avail. So I hand mashed and stirred in the peanut butter by hand. No biggie. If you're one of those banana slices with peanut butter addicts, this is the pudding for you! It's so easy to make and tastes sooooooooooooooo ah-mazing! By hand, it's thick and chunky, but with a blender it's smooth and creamy textured. Oh my goodness, now I'm imagining just how incredible it would be to switch from creamy peanut butter to crunchy. The bananas would just die!

Raw Peanut Butter And Banana Pudding Ingredients and Preparation

Bananas, peanut butter, bowl, & spoon. That's it.

2 ripened bananas
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (room temperature so that it can be poured easily)

Open bananas & slice them up.

Mash to oblivion.

Pour peanut butter.

Mix & eat. That's it!

Vegan Chocolate Avocado Pudding

Whipped creamy chocolate richness in a single serving treat.

Two puddings in a roll?
Why yes!
That sounds like a splendid idea!
Unlike the first attempt of chocolate pudding with avocados, this second effort sans raspberries includes banana, coconut milk, and dates for a deliciously whipped, purely mouthwatering sweet heaven for an oh so smooth and luxurious after dinner dessert.
Silky and velvety, the spoon won't stop digging in until the bowl is wiped clean!
For extra texture and chocolate appeal feel free to add vegan chocolate or carob chips!

Vegan Chocolate Avocado Pudding Ingredients and Preparation

2/3 cup dates, soaked for an hour in 1 cup water
1 ripened avocado
1 ripened banana
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup lite coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
handful sliced almonds

Drain some of the date water and puree.
Add the remaining ingredients save for the almonds, using functions mix and whip primarily.
Spoon out and top with almonds.

Extra cinnamon for spice and pizazz!

Vegan Carrot Coconut Cake Pudding

My alma mater would appreciate me putting my graduation mug to good use!

Who doesn't love carrot cake? Yum! Yum! Yum!
Back in the old pre-vegan days, I lazily assumed that carrots being nestled inside cake meant it must be a much healthier option and excessively engorged on my chosen restaurant dessert.
Unfortunately that orange yummy goodness was often piled high in deathly over sugared cream cheese icing and little painted frosting carrots. 
Well, I created a less guilty, easy peasy recipe that skips the oven and heads straight into a bowl or mug flavored. Most of the traditional carrot cake (sorry cream cheese!) batter plus banana comes into a lovely creamy pudding with distinctive coconut texture added to the mix.

Vegan Carrot Coconut Cake Pudding Ingredients and Preparation

1 cup carrots, steamed and chilled
1/2 cup lite coconut milk, refrigerated
1/4 cup hazelnuts or walnuts, ground finely
1 ripened banana
2 teaspoon agave nectar (or 1/4 cup raisins or 1/4 cup dates)
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon turmeric

Grind nuts into a blender or food processor.
Add softened carrots, coconut milk, and banana and puree it all together.
Whip in agave nectar, shredded coconut, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and turmeric.
Voila!

Rich, creamy, nutty, & sweet pudding that makes for a most yummy dessert!

A sprinkle of coconut & carrot pieces add flair. 

Vegan Banana Bread Pudding

Mmmhmmmm bread pudding on another rainy evening.

Hot bread drowning in bananas, almond milk, maple syrup, & spices?
Sign me and a plate up ASAP!

Vegan Banana Bread Pudding Ingredients

2 ripened bananas
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoon cinnamon (+ additional for sprinkling)
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
8 slices bread, pieced and chunky (I used wheat here)
turbinado sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Dry, fresh bread waiting to be smothered in goodness.

Mix all the ingredients sans bread in a blender.

Pour over the bread chunks.

Let the bread have a relaxing soak in the pleasurable yummy drench for 5-10 good minutes.

Then it's off into the hot oven!

40 minutes later, all puffed and ready to be devoured. Slowly.

Topped with a bit of creamy chocolate avocado sauce and extra banana slices is the stuff dreams are made of!

Sometimes food can be an incredibly sensuous experience when indulged on nights calling for romance novels and teddy bear snuggle hour.
Oh.
Was that too much information?
Well, anyway, the bread pudding a moist and delightfully custard-y dessert with that rich banana flavor (though it needs more) and light sweet crunch that the turbinado sugar provides, was perfect with that raw chocolate avocado sauce. Though I craved pecans like nobody's business, I liked it.
After so comforting leftover dinner, this was a very pleasing conclusion. :)

That black bean burger piled high with creamy cauliflower cheese sauce, juicy Roma tomatoes, ketchup, & crisp spinach. Yeah baby!

Raspberry Chocolate Avocado Pudding

Avocados in a pudding? What the what?

Besides the wild kale craze, avocado pudding is a sweet sensation sweeping the vegan nation.
I see posts all over the web of bowls filled to the rim with this creamy chocolaty madness, exclaiming that the avocado supplied the source of thick, custard like texture.
My brows rose in shocking disbelief.
Of course, being a strictly salad, guacamole, pasta cream fiend, it seemed odd to give avocado a role in the dessert arena, especially where my beloved chocolate is concerned.
But since I happened to be one of the biggest chocoholics in the world, chocolate avocado pudding sounded potentially good.
As always these kitchen experiments often squash my original belief systems.  

Raspberry Chocolate Avocado Pudding

1 ripened avocado
1 cup soy milk
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons sugar
8 raspberries

Combine all ingredients in a blender.
Eat or chill for 3-4 hours in the refrigerator.

Topped with sliced almonds and extra raspberry pizazz.

OMG! So yummy!
All the taste buds can understand is rich, velvety chocolate and tart raspberry that's incredibly delicious. The avocado flavor is disguised perfectly in this lovely bowl of thick creamy pudding.
Definitely a one of a kind, simple to make dessert.
A real keeper! :)