Chocolate Pudding And A Change Of Plans

Let's start with the chocolate pudding.  We have my mom to thank for this one.  If you didn't know, you'd swear it was made from the finest dairy products on earth.  

Dairy Free Chocolate Pudding

1-2 ripe avocados

1/4 cup agave nectar

1/4 cup water (I use a bit more)

1/4 cup raw cocao powder (or just regular cocoa powder if it's all you've got)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Put all ingredients in blender and mix to desired consistency.  Serve cold.

My mom brought this to me after I got out of the hospital and it's all I seem to want lately.  Especially at 2 am when I'm puttering around the house with one eye open and a baby in my arms.  

Remember how I was pregnant and due on March 29th?  Yeah, that didn't work out very well.  Because this little drama nugget had other plans.

I won't bore you with the gory details (posterior babies suck), but it was...gory.  And scary.  And the most incredible thing that has ever happened to me.  She was 5 1/2 weeks early and only spent 3 days in the NICU.  Now she's home with me and I've been spending my days loving every millimeter of her.  And trust me, a 4 pound 9 ounce baby isn't made up of very many millimeters.  

Oh and let me tell you something else, if you don't have a friend who is willing to smuggle green shakes and black bean salsa into the hospital for you, you should really look into getting one.  They kind of rock.  

  

Gena's Cooked Sunshine Burgers

These awesome veggie burgers are the result of of the ingenious Gena of Choosing Raw.  Her blog is invaluable because it not only contains knowledgeable and well-researched insights, but also delicious, very simple, recipes. 

I made these cooked sunshine burgers the other night for dinner and my 2.5 year-old daughter ate 3 of them (and they are not small!).  This above photo pictures my lunch plate the next day, which I only got a couple of bites of....my 3 year old once again ate her portion...and then mine.  We love these burgers because they are mighty tasty, filling, and easy to make.

That being said, through making these several times, I have learned an easier way to prepare them than what is said in the directions.  First, here's the link to the recipe from Gena's blog. 

What I do:

1) I first grind sunflower seeds (unsoaked) in the food processor.
2) I chop the carrots, celery, and onion, and then pulse with the seeds in the food processor (Otherwise they 
     are too chunky) 
3) I add all other ingredients (except water) and process. 
4) I add the ground flax seed LAST!  This is because I usually make a double batch at a time, and when the food processor is very full, the flax seed tends to "gunk up" the mixing process. 
5) I don't usually add water.
6) The last time I made these, I used the spicy blend of Herbamare and the burgers were FANTASTIC.

These burgers make a very filling, satisfying dinner, and then a delicious lunch the next day.

 - Jenny ;)