I wanted to come up with a deliciously healthy pudding for Valentines Day – rich, and indulgent. My Healthy Vegan Chocolate Chia Pudding hits the spot perfectly. It’s very chocolatey, goopy, sweet, and has a texture that my family and I cannot get enough, which comes from the soaked chia seeds.
This healthy vegan chocolate chia pudding is truly a SUPER food pudding, and one of the best purveyors of Super Foods is Navitas Naturals. I am bit obsessed with this company because they have always had everything I need, and they keep on expanding their inventory! They have all the usual suspects like chia and hemp, but they also have a lot of quite unique super foods such as dried Dragon Fruit, which is an insanely delicious lunch box snack.
So, what are the health benefits of this pudding? You get an enormous amount of fiber from the chia seeds. Remember that fiber is such an important part of a health prevention diet. Chia also contains the Omega 3 fatty acids that you need to reduce inflammation and to keep your hair, skin and nails in great shape. And, as if that weren’t enough, chia also contains 2 grams of protein per tbsp.
The cacao is uber-rich in anti-oxidants, which helps fight those pesky free-radicals, which age us. I’ve also added cinnamon to help balance your blood sugar, and the almond or soy milk will give you a good few grams of protein. I have chosen to sweeten the pudding with Lucuma Powder because it is a mineral rich, and low-glycemic sweetener, which I love. I added a little maple syrup becasuse the raw cacao powder isn’t terribly sweet – and hey, this is a pudding!
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups of unsweetened almond, soy, or coconut milk
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
- 1/4 cup cacao powder
- 3 tbsp Lucuma powder
- 2tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Organic Blueberries and slivered almonds for topping
Instructions:
- Whisk all of the ingredients together in a glass measuring cup.
- Leave overnight in the fridge
- Give it a good mix before serving.
- Transfer to a pretty mason jar, and top with blueberries and slivered almonds.
