looking ahead to christmas and visiting family in iowa got me thinking about what wonderful things i want to make that everyone can enjoy. first on my list was to rework the pudding recipe to be dairy and cane sugar-free. guess what? i tried three variations and they are all lick-your-lips good. best part, they are also very good for you. nutrient dense, guilt free, delicious treats are my favorite!
as with most pudding recipes, you will only be using the yolks. this, in my opinion, is no big deal because it gives me an excuse to make boccone dolce often. leave out the chocolate and make it for breakfast. SO good. but i digress...
back to pudding. since i was altering the food52 recipe, i started with chocolate pudding. i use the same basic cooking method as the original recipe.
paleo chocolate pudding
2 cans coconut milk
heat on stove until it begins to foam/boil, stirring frequently. this should take 5-7 minutes. while waiting:
4 egg yolks
1/3 C tapioca flour
1/3 C honey
1/2 C cocoa powder
mix in a blender, scraping down the sides/lid a couple times. be sure to get all the tapioca flour out of the bumps/crevices of the inside of the blender. ;)
sprinkle 2 T grass-fed beef gelatin into the blender and let bloom while the milk finishes heating.
once the coconut milk is ready, turn on the blender to its lowest setting and begin to slowly add the coconut milk. scrape down sides/lid and blend again. pour into individual cups, pie crust, or 9x7 - 9x13 pan. cover with a lid/plastic and refrigerate 3-5 hours.
top with whipped cream or whipped coconut cream or my honey sweetened hot fudge and enjoy!
non-paleo variation: this recipe works great with 3 C whole milk instead of coconut milk. if you don't have gelatin you can alternatively use one bag of dark chocolate chips (always check ingredients!), added after the milk is fully incorporated. if you are using chocolate chips, i would reduce the amount of honey to between 2 T - 1/4 C.
on to our second variation! i was staring at two overripe bananas on my counter, thinking about pudding, and craving the delicious concoction of my youth. you know the one...layers of nilla wafers, pudding, and whipped cream. granted, back in the day it all came from boxes and had little to no actual nutrients, but still. the memory lives on in my mind. i made the first version with whole milk because i was out of coconut milk (gasp...how does that even happen?!) but it works great with either. this recipe is my new favorite. absolutely guilt-free. NO sweeteners outside of the bananas. plus, bananas are wonderful for you. and gelatin...don't even get me started on the benefits found there!
the banana pudding is mighty tasty on its own, but to fulfill this particular banana pudding craving there had to be some form of cookies to layer in the mix. i found this recipe for paleo vanilla wafers from "the iron you". after a little alteration, i had a winner. and when i say "winner" i mean don't-share-with-the-kids, mom-where'd-all-the-banana-pudding-go? winner. ;)
banana pudding
2 cans of coconut milk OR 3 C whole milk
heat on stove until it begins to foam/boil, stirring frequently. this should take 5-7 minutes. while waiting:
4 egg yolks
1/3 C tapioca flour
2 ripe bananas
mix in a blender, scraping down the sides/lid a couple times. be sure to get all the tapioca flour out of the bumps/crevices of the inside of the blender. ;)
sprinkle 2 T grass-fed beef gelatin into the blender and let bloom while the milk finishes heating.
once the coconut milk is ready, turn on the blender to its lowest setting and begin to slowly add the coconut milk. scrape down sides/lid and blend again. pour into individual cups, pie crust, or layer with cookies in 9x13 pan. cover with a lid/plastic and refrigerate 3-5 hours.
paleo vanilla wafers
3 egg yolks
1 t vanilla extract
3 C almond flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t kosher salt
1/3 C virgin coconut oil, melted
2/3 C raw honey
preheat oven to 350. mix all ingredients in a food processor until well combined. spread dough on a silicon baking mat on a sheet pan. bake for 15 minutes (more or less, depending on your oven). allow to cool on the silicon mat for 5-10 minutes before moving to a cutting surface (FYI: your silicon baking mat would NOT be a cutting surface). use a pizza cutter to 1"-2" squares out of the vanilla wafer sheet.
to assemble banana pudding, layer cookie pieces in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. cut up one banana into thin slices and layer on top of the cookies. pour 1/3 of the pudding over the top of the cookies. make another layer of cookies, layer sliced bananas, pour 1/3 of the pudding, etc. cover and refrigerate. serve with whipped cream or whipped coconut cream and try not to eat the whole pan.
so, this probably should have been three separate posts, but i only have one picture right now and the basic pudding recipe is more or less a master recipe so i'm just going to keep going.
as much as i love chocolate pudding and banana pudding, this coconut pudding may be my favorite. i can't wait to make some incredible paleo pie shell and make a coconut cream pie. yes, this will happen soon. the downside to making super-delicious things is that sometimes (okay, most of the time) i am so busy enjoying the food that i forget to take a picture. or, maybe my kitchen is a complete mess and there's not enough counter space to get a photo. i plead the fifth and throw another yummy pudding recipe at you as a distraction...
coconut pudding
2 cans of coconut milk OR 3 C whole milk
heat on stove until it begins to foam/boil, stirring frequently. this should take 5-7 minutes. while waiting:
4 egg yolks
1/3 C tapioca flour
1/4 C honey
1 t vanilla
mix in a blender, scraping down the sides/lid a couple times. be sure to get all the tapioca flour out of the bumps/crevices of the inside of the blender. ;)
sprinkle 2 T grass-fed beef gelatin into the blender and let bloom while the milk finishes heating.
once the coconut milk is ready, turn on the blender to its lowest setting and begin to slowly add the coconut milk. scrape down sides/lid and blend again, this time adding in 2 C unsweetened shredded coconut. pour into individual cups, pie crust, or in 9x7 - 9x13 pan. cover with a lid/plastic and refrigerate 3-5 hours. a little honey sweetened hot fudge on top is sublime.
that's all for now, but there have to be more variations. pumpkin? raspberry? i will let you know if i come up with anything else worth making. for now, enjoy your pudding!
heat on stove until it begins to foam/boil, stirring frequently. this should take 5-7 minutes. while waiting:
4 egg yolks
1/3 C tapioca flour
1/4 C honey
1 t vanilla
mix in a blender, scraping down the sides/lid a couple times. be sure to get all the tapioca flour out of the bumps/crevices of the inside of the blender. ;)
sprinkle 2 T grass-fed beef gelatin into the blender and let bloom while the milk finishes heating.
once the coconut milk is ready, turn on the blender to its lowest setting and begin to slowly add the coconut milk. scrape down sides/lid and blend again, this time adding in 2 C unsweetened shredded coconut. pour into individual cups, pie crust, or in 9x7 - 9x13 pan. cover with a lid/plastic and refrigerate 3-5 hours. a little honey sweetened hot fudge on top is sublime.
that's all for now, but there have to be more variations. pumpkin? raspberry? i will let you know if i come up with anything else worth making. for now, enjoy your pudding!
