This just may be responsible for a puddle of drool on keyboards across the Globe.
Including my own.
Meet Trader Joe’s Sunflower Seed Butter and a Gala Apple!
In unison, they make something I’d like to call Crunchy Buttaaaah.
I will not rest until the smooth, buttery, sweetness meets my lips once again.
Until then, I present to you another Afternoon Powersnack recipe!
This recipe is a wake-up call for when your forehead feels like it is going to meet the keyboard at the strike of 3pm. DONG!
Start with pumpkin.
Most importantly, add chocolate lava.
Not just any chocolate lava though…high-protein chocolate lava!
And carob lava.
And a hint of sweetness because that is a lot of pumpkin!
Boom.
Meet Chocolate Carob Pumpkin Pudding! It is high-fibre, high-protein, and packed with nutrients!
High Protein Chocolate Carob Pumpkin Pudding
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups canned pumpkin
- 1/2 cup Vega Chocolate Protein Powder (or other sweet chocolate protein powder)
- 2-3 tbsp carob powder, to taste
- 3/4 cup Almond Milk
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- Drizzle of maple syrup, to garnish
- Unsweetened coconut, to garnish
Directions: Scoop the canned pumpkin into a medium sized bowl. In another medium sized bowl, scoop the Vega protein powder and carob powder and mix. Add 3/4 cup Almond Milk and whisk well until all clumps are gone. Add this mixture to the pumpkin and mix well. Now add the maple syrup, 1 tbsp at a time. Adjust to taste. Add more syrup if necessary. Garnish with coconut.
Makes four, 1/2 cup servings at 140 kcals, 2 grams fat, 8 grams fibre, 7 grams protein.
This healthy pudding is nice because it isn’t super sweet and overwhelming, but I will warn you it is nothing like the pudding I used to eat as a child (you remember those Jell-O packs?). This is healthy pudding made with pumpkin so keep that in mind! You can modify it any way you wish. If it isn’t sweet enough, add more sweetener. If you want less sweetener in it, you can have it without. I added a couple tablespoons of maple syrup and was quite happy with the result. I really like that there are 8 grams of fibre and 7 grams of protein per half cup. It is very filling!
VegNews: The Vegetarian and Vegan Movement in Canada
Several months ago I told you that I was interviewed for a VegNews magazine article. Well, it is finally in print in their Sept + Oct 2010 issue!
The article is on the vegetarian and vegan movement in Canada and I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of it!
I highly recommend checking out this Food issue if you can get your hands on a copy. It features over 115 veg recipes too.
VegNews also has a wonderful Tree-Free subscription option. Instead of getting a magazine you will be delivered an on-screen digital edition. Cool stuff, right?
I really love this quote from the article, written by Moira Nordholt,
“Canadian vegetarians are in the business of making a compassionate lifestyle hip, accessible, and mainstream…As evidenced everywhere from way up north in Whitehorse, where the city’s second vegan restaurant is set to open this year, to Vancouver, where innovation in vegan foods is taking all of North America by storm, to Montreal, where the raw vegan movement is growing like Wheatgrass, there’s an evolution happening in the Great White North. Suddenly, vegan is en vogue. There’s long been a veg movement in Canada, but it is now driven by a seemingly unstoppable momentum.”
I am on the right below. :)
It will be fun to see how the movement continues to spread across Canada in the future. :)
Is there a vegetarian or vegan movement where you live? Are vegetarian and vegan foods readily accessible?
I would say Ohio is semi-vegetarian friendly but living in the mid-West, when you go out for dinner, the vegetarian options are limited. There are more and more veggie burgers popping up but I would like to see more vegetarian options!
I think vegan/veg foods are available here, though I am not one. But – I really like the desserts. That counts right? :)
Firstly – good gosh at that breakfast – that looks AMAZING!
Secondly – there most definetly is not a vegan movement near me…i struggle sooo much to get good vegan food!
No movement or any sign of improvement in sight near where I live. Maybe around me, within a 50-100 mile radius, that I’m not aware of, but my town lacks so much. I’m amazed that there are even a couple of vegetarian options at the local “restaurants” (read:crappy home-town style grease shacks) even though they’re basically salads with iceberg lettuce and canned, soggy, salty vegetables.
Fortunately I’m able to make do with what the grocery store and local farmer’s market sell and I’m not at a complete loss. I think that Canada is doing an awesome thing and I’m happy for you that you got published in the magazine and are a part of it!
Sadly there are pretty much no vegan options where in Regina, Saskatchewan. That could be because there is pretty much nothing here, lol. But I think there is room for a bakery and a restaurant or to. Also the pumpkin chocolate pudding looks delish!
Hoorah for Canada! Heehee. Congrats on making VegNews, that’s very exciting! I’ve definitely noticed the growing vegetarian options in the past few years around where I live (also near Toronto) in terms of availability at grocery stores and restaurants. However, I have been disappointed by the Zehrs closest to me as it rarely stocks the tofu I like and doesn’t have a big organic selection. Then again, it’s a pretty old grocery store and there’s a health food store right downtown!
That pudding looks amazing!!! And so easy to make too. Seriously, when is your cookbook coming out? :)
I’m not so sure about vegan/vegetarian options, since I am not one!
Hi! I haven´t commented before but i absolutely love your website. I suffered from an eating disorder for 5 years and am still nervous that It will rear its ugly head…but your food philosophy is akin to mine and whenever I think about skipping a meal or just having a diet coke or something I go and look at your blog and realise what my body really wants and needs! So thank you, very much.
As for vegan options…I live in Sydney, Australia, and there’s not a very strong culture of veganism but to be vegetarian is quite socially normal, as in people wouldn’t think you were weird or wacky. Vegan is different though…since we are so close to Asia there is a HEAP of asian food of all kinds and it is usually there that you can get great vegan grub that doesn´t even know it is vegan! =D
Congratulations on your magazine appearance! I love Vegnews, it’s a great source for all things vegan/vegetarian so I will definitely be picking that one up. I live in Montreal and find that the whole movement is truly growing like wheatgrass! Even my school cafeteria offers a meat option AND a vegetarian option EVERYDAY. And it tastes delicious! They even have vegan options like chickpeas and couscous with a vegetable soup or a tofu and veggie stir-fry on brown rice.
I am making that pudding within the next week. I’m totally hooked on pumpkin now- all ready for fall and winter foods!
Congrats on the article, that’s awesome :-)
Wow how that looks like! Thanks for the recipe, I have to make something like that soon.
Can’t wait for autumn and pumpkins :)
Mmm!!! That pumpkin pudding looks UNREAL! What a perfect afternoon snack… is that canned pumpkin or something you cooked yourself?
“Canadian are very compassionate people.”
We are, aren’t we?
Wow how cool is that! I started a “local” health blog as well for Houston. When I went searching for a “health blog” in Houston it was hard to find them so I made a site for bloggers and readers to get information on one site… I’m happy with it so far!
Congrats on being in the article!! I know I’m *really* lucky to have access to vegan foods both where I live and at school. I’m not talking fresh fruits and veggies but all the protein powders, sunshine burgers, etc. I noticed there’s more emerging vegetarians and vegans but I really hope that this isn’t just a “trendy” thing and that people are doing it for good reasons (other than to mask another Hollywood diet trend…)
Oh and the chocolate pumpkin pudding? Bomb.
^a good kind of bomb! lol
OMG….that looks amazing! I am SO ready for fall and pumpkin recipes and can’t wait to make this one!
Right now I live in a big city so it is easy to find vegetarian and vegan foods. I can imagine it being difficult if you are from a small town though!
I love living in NY because there are so many veg and vegan options available 24/7! I’m not vegan, but I’m really interested in vegan foods and vegan cooking, and NY has definitely helped me discover some new possibilities! Also, I had a neighbor back in Michigan who was a vegan and moved there from NYC to teach, and she got me started and helped me find options in our smaller city.
So glad I subscribe to VegNews. Love it.
Oh my goodness, you make the greatest pumpkin concoctions!!! That looks delicious. I live in Chicago so as you know the city is pretty friendly to vegetarians and vegans. I live right across from an Argo where there are all these vegan baked goods (Lemon Poppyseed Muffin is to die for!) and there are lots of other options, too. I’m not actually a vegan nor vegetarian but I do like having the options around me.
I stopped eating meat in 1994 (whoa!). Back then, vegetarianism wasn’t as widely accepted as it is today. I remember having to visit health food store to get tofu or veggie burgers (this in a HUGE city). Now, national grocery chains carry such a variety of vegetarian products. Going out for dinner, there were very few vegetarian restaurants and non-veg restaurants had very few veg+ choices. I am so happy that in 2010, that has all changed!
Thanks for the pumpkin pudding recipe. It looks and sounds amazing.
I tried your recipe last night. As I only have the VEGA vanilla chai powder at home, I tried that with… interesting results! The vanilla chai flavouring was too overpowering, even after adding lots of carob (and cocoa). I used agave nectar (no maple syrup on hand), which worked well. I’m going to try the recipe again, using a more bland protein powder or trying the VEGA chocolate (haven’t tried it yet).
Thanks for the inspiration, Angela. I had a can of pumpkin in the pantry and didn’t want to make something overly autumn right now with it (i.e., pie, tarts, soup, etc).