To me one of the most exciting things about eating a Paleo diet is the enjoyment I get from creating new and exciting recipes. When ever we have friends over for dinner I love seeing the look of slight apprehension in their eyes when I say that what I’m going to serve them is 100% paleo. Paleo certainly is no boring ‘diet’ and there are so many amazing options available and there is a vast amount of room for creativity!
This time I served my salt and pepper seed crackers with a choice of two dips: tangy tomato, basil and garlic relish and kale, lime and avocado cream. For mains we had slow roasted pork belly with homemade apple sauce, sweet potato fondant and wok’d greens. Then for pudding …. (Now this is my favourite part of any meal), I served chocolate chia pudding with a caramelised date centre. It’s a sweet one-  without being sickly and the most divinely indulgent texture thanks to the chia seeds.
As a type one diabetic I am very cautious about just how much sugar I put in my body as even though I only use natural sugar, sugar is sugar. So do feel free (all the sugar monsters amongst you!) to add extra maple syrup- but for me, this was plenty. This serves either two very big portions (as pictured) or 4 smaller portions. The perfect post- dinner treat! Add some colourful toppings (raspberries, strawberries etc) and a few cacao nibs for that extra endorphin hit.
- 2 tbsp Cacao powder
- 1 heaped tbsp Chia seeds
- 2 tbsp Maple syrup (or a sweetener of your choice, like Sugavida)
- 1 cup Coconut milk
- ½ Large avocado (flesh, pitted)
- 4 medjool dates (pitted)
- Optional toppings: cacao nibs, raspberries, cherries, blueberries, coconut shavings, orange zest
- Into a blender / Nutribullet place the cacao power, maple syrup, coconut milk and avocado
- Blitz until smooth and creamy (have a taste- if it is not sweet enough for you add a little more maple syrup- 1 tsp at a time until desired sweetness)
- Add in the chia seeds and stir in to the mixture with a spoon until fully combined
- Pour in to separate jars / dishes (2 larger portions or 4 smaller ones)
- Leave in the fridge to allow the chia seeds to swell and set for a least 2 hrs
- Whilst that's in the fridge, place your pitted dates in to a pan with 4 tbsp water, bring to boil and then simmer for 3-4 minutes
- As they soften, break them down with a spoon (add 1tbsp extra water if they start to stick) and keep stirring until all the water has been dissolved and you are left with a thick caramelised date paste (set aside to cool for at least 1 hr)
- Once set and using a small spoon make a well in the middle of the centre of the pudding
- Place about 1.5 teaspoons caramelised date in to the centre of the pudding
- Cover with cacao nibs and raspberries and save straight away or leave in the fridge for up to 3 days
- (The date paste will keep for up to 3 weeks)
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This is such a cool idea! Bet your guests loved them.
Oooh! Looks soooo good! I’ve experimented with chia seeds already and love them, will enjoy using them in this recipe – thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much ! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂 I adore chia seeds!