Chocolate Zucchini Chia Pudding

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)

• 1/2 cup grated zucchini
• 2-3 Tbsps raw cacao 
• 2 Tbsps hemp seeds
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/8 tsp vanilla stevia 
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 Tbsps chia seeds
• 1 Tbsps cacao nibs (optional)
• 1-2 Tbsps walnut pieces (I buy mine at nutsonline)

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:

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.

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

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

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

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

Real Food Weekly with Diane of The WHOLE Gang.  

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