
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?
Congrats on the interview and yay for getting Canadians some coverage in VegNews! :D
Your pudding looks scrumptious. I’d say pumpkin, chocolate and carob is a can’t-miss combination!
There is definitely a vegan movement where I live – Portland, OR. You should come check it out! It’s like a vegan’s heaven. There is a local non-profit organization called NWVeg (nwveg.org) that puts on events, and does a lot of outreach in the vegan/vegetarian movement. They’re putting on a big conference next month!
Congrats! That’s brilliant.
I’m in Winnipeg and while I’m not vegetarian I do love veggie food. I think the community here is slowly responding to more demand and it’s nice to see more places open that are vegetarian/vegan as opposed to a regular restaurant that just has a few sad options on the menu.
This looks so delicious! Never would have thought of putting pumpkin as the basis for a pudding, but it makes a lot of sense given the texture.
That’s so great about the movement! Hopefully that will continue in the US ;)
Congrats on the vegnews article!!
I’m in the Vancouver area and so the veg movement is growing all the time! Lots of veg choices and meet up groups!
Chocolate Pumpkin Pudding = GENIUS!!! Can’t wait to make it! Bookmarking this :)
VegNews is such a great magazine! Congrats :) I live in Halifax and considering the city is pretty small, vegan and vegetarian options are fairly easy to come by (products available in the US and in larger Canadian cities are slowly coming into our stores and we have a few veg restaurants).
Speaking of the movement in Canada, the Toronto Vegetarian Association Food Fair is coming up. I bet your Glo Bars would sell well there! :)
I’m convinced that there nothing that pumpkin can’t do right.
Congrats on the magazine article!
Hi! I’m the prep chef in a restaurant in midcoast Maine and am encouraged by the owners to create the vegan and veggie food I delight in – it is popular too! Some local restaurants offer veg alternatives, usually with dairy products but I always have a vegan soup, my veg burgers are vegan, and the enchilladas without cheese topping are too. We also use local produce and try to be as ‘green’ a restaurant as possible.
Congrats on the interview!
IN the UK there is a lot of choice for veggies and vegans if you shop in a supermarket/ (top ups from smaller health food shops), but not so much choice when eating out. A lot of places label things as vegetarian when they contain gelatin, or parmeasan (not veggie cheese)- a few places have started to realise and label correctly but it is slow! I think eating out as a vegan would be very hard- my veggie meals generally have cheese in them somewhere.
Huge vegan movement in Atlanta! (Parts of it)
Where can we get canned pumpkin when it’s NOT fall :) !!??
Congratulations on being featured in VegNews! There is not a vegetarian/vegan movement in Memphis, TN, where I live. When people find out that I’m a vegan, they all act like I’m an alien and ask tons of questions. I don’t mind answering them, as I feel it brings some sort of exposure to the lifestyle!
Oooo I can’t wait to get my copy of VegNews!! Congrats :)
There is a growing Veg movement in South Florida, and I like to say that I am a big part of it! We had a fantastic vegan restaurant open recently and I take everyone I know there. My coworkers are learning that they don’t need meat every meal to feel satisfied and I send them recipes to try at home. I might even start a meatless monday at work ;)
Mmmm.. I love anything pumpkin… and anything chocolate… this looks heavenly!
Love the recipe and love your quote!
I think you might just turn into a pumpkin my dear! Heheh, that looks absolutely delicious though!
Yes, there is a vegetarian/vegan movement where I live – which is very close to you! I think it’s great that it’s becoming more popular and that magazine has so much great information. Congrats on the interview being printed! :)
Absolutely! I am blessed to live somewhere that healthy living is the norm. It’s a small Southern town and it has all the richness that comes along with that, but there is also alot of health nuts, hippies, holistic options, and so much more. It’s an amazing place to live! I love how vegetarian/vegan friendly it is.
Wow!! Your Chocolate Carob Pumpkin Pudding looks amazing!!! And so does the apple!! I will definitely have to pick up some Sunflower Seed Butter next time I am in Trader Joes!!:)
Toronto is a really vegetarian friendly city to live in (as I am sure you know being so close and all) Vegetarian restaurants are everywhere, including ethnic restaurants with really fabulous vegetarian fare. If the Healthy Living Summit were here next year *hint* the participants would have a great time discovering everything this city has to offer!! :>
Congrats on the article! I am going to try and find the magazine somewhere.
I just went vegan 3 days ago, after doing some research on the salmonella outbreak from Iowa. I was horrified! I live in WNY (near Buffalo) and will see if I can convert anyone else. I have been reading your blog for ages and know that it can be done in a healthy way
When I first went vegan this (http://www.21daykickstart.org/) helped me a lot in terms of recipes and general info. Good luck and have fun! :)