Chocolate Zucchini Chia Pudding

by Valerie on July 30, 2011 · 6 comments

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I know it sounds weird, but I really liked this latest chia pudding creation.  It has that subtle interplay of zucchini with chocolate with walnuts, plus some serious staying power on account of the chia seeds and the hemp seeds. First, though, let’s talk about the contents of the lunchbox:

  • Spiralized zucchini with peanut-sauced vegetable and tofu stir-fry leftovers. I packed enough of the stir-fry to have a hearty lunch and some for a early evening snack, topped with hemp seeds for added protein, before going to this event at Tranquilspace.
  • Chocolate zucchini chia pudding with walnuts for topping (recipe below)

Chocolate Zucchini Chia Pudding  (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Soy-Free)

Blend 2 tablespoons of the grated zucchini with the cacao, hemp seeds, water, stevia and cinnamon.  Combine the remaining grated zucchini with the chia seeds and optional cacao nibs.  Pour blended mixture atop the chia seed mixture. Stir well to combine.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes, stir again, and then refrigerate overnight.  Serve topped with walnut pieces.

It sounds weird, but is indulgent and thick, as chia puddings tend to be, and has that je ne sais quoi flavor of chocolate zucchini muffins, except as a pudding.  Speaking of Chocolate & Zucchini, I actually found her blog because I was searching for a muffin recipe, years ago.

As chia pudding go, I would not serve this to someone who has never had chia pudding as the texture of the zucchini and chia seeds is a bit of an acquired taste, but flavor-wise, this was delightful. Chocolatey, cinnamon-y and that hint of zucchini. 

A note: I bet this would work well with zucchini juice pulp, but I tend to save my zucchini juice pulp for this pudding’s smoothie equivalent, a recipe I hope to write up soon.

I am submitting this recipe to the following weekly events starting with:

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Summer Wellness Weekend, hosted by Ricki of Diet, Desserts and Dogs. The concept behind Summer Wellness Weekends is “any good-for-you, whole foods, especially those with antioxidant properties or “functional foods” (ie, offering naturally medicinal or health-promoting qualities–such as garlic, coconut oil, all vegetables, fruits, herbs, etc.).”  Raw cacao is antioxidant central, plus this involves other great things like chia seeds, cinnamon, hemp seeds and zucchini.

seasonal sunday

Real Sustenance’s Seasonal Sunday event – since zucchini is seasonal to summer, this recipe fits.

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A blog event hosted by Flip Cookbook called Sugar Free Sunday, which includes sweet and savory dishes made with non-refined sugars.

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Slightly Indulgent Tuesday with Amy of Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free – chocolate and raspberries is one of my favorite indulgent combinations.

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Gluten-Free Wednesday, hosted by the Gluten-Free Homemaker.

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Real Food Weekly with Diane of The WHOLE Gang.  

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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Heather @Gluten-Free Cat July 30, 2011 at 3:46 pm

Muffin taste in a healthy pudding? I'm all over this one!

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2 gfe--gluten free easily July 30, 2011 at 11:12 pm

I'm so disappointed I'm off chia for a while. No idea why I was reacting to that ingredient. Hope I can get it back one day. I share some of my "weird", but wonderful concoctions with folks and get the "look" sometimes. 😉 This looks like a lovely lunch box, Valerie. I always love those zucchini noodles. :-)

Shirley

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3 Ricki August 2, 2011 at 12:26 am

Well, you know how much I love mixing veggies in my sweets, so this sounds perfectly delicious to me! In fact, I may just have to try it as soon as I get my hands on some zucchini. :)

Thanks for submitting to WW this week!

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4 janet @ the taste space August 5, 2011 at 2:01 am

I am so intrigued! This looks so decadent that I can't wait to try it out. :)

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5 Cindy (Vegetarian Mamma) August 24, 2012 at 2:17 am

I love this! Its on my to make list! My name is Cindy and I blog over at Vegetarianmamma.com I wanted to invite you to link up your recipe at our Gluten Free Fridays Recipe Link up party! It happens every Friday and we’d love to have you join us with some of your awesome recipes! You can find this week’s link up here: http://vegetarianmamma.com/gluten-free-fridays-recipe-party-2/
Also be sure to link up your blog on our Gluten Free Bloggers directory. You can reach the directory by clicking the “glutenfree bloggers” tab on our blog! Thanks, Cindy :)

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