Raw Chocolate Pudding

Liz Laneri is the PR genius who is throwing the Launch party for this site on Saturday. She is also a raw food enthusiast - and lately everyone has been clamoring for her raw chocolate pudding recipe:

After spending an incredible week in California over the New Year, I came back to Boston motivated to cleanse (for lack of a better word) my mind and body. Yes, perhaps the combination of Northern California and massage therapy school have turned me into a New Age hippie . . . eh, who are we kidding, I'm still a sarcastic $&*@ at heart.

I decided to do the raw food "diet" for a month. I'm a huge proponent of this kind of cleanse as it doesn't deprive your body of food and nutrients the way other cleanses often do. In fact, it does the opposite; it makes your food more nutritious, since cooking drains away a lot of the natural good stuff in your food. Raw foodism can be a challenge - especially for someone like me who enjoys beer outings with friends. In all honesty, I caved in after three weeks.

When I talk about the raw food diet, people usually say one or all of the following things:

• You must always be hungry
• Are you just eating salads all the time?
• How can you live without cheese?!

The reality is there are a plethora of delicious meals you can make - they just take a while to not cook. Just because it's raw, doesn't mean it doesn't take time! Chopping, cleaning and dehydrating raw food into amazing meals can take longer than you think. Not to fret, though! I have an incredibly simple raw dessert that will satisfy your chocolate craving.

My friend, Andrea Parros, co-owner of The Owl House in Rochester, NY, gave me a raw chocolate pudding recipe to try. Since I have difficulties following directions and don't do the measuring thing, I altered it to fit my taste buds. So here's my version. Feel free to adjust it to your liking as well!

Raw Chocolate Pudding

• 1-2 avocados
• 1 banana (optional)
• 1 cup raw cacao powder
• 1/3 cup coconut water (or coconut milk)
• 1/4 cup agave nectar (add more if you want it to be sweeter)
• cacao*
• coconut meat to sprinkle on top (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Mix the ingredients in a food processor, and it's ready to eat! Cut up strawberries or other fruit to dip and share with friends. Or eat it solo with a spoon while watching your favorite tear-jerker.

*Every time I make this, as I'm pouring in the cacao, I can't help but giggle to myself as I think of Portlandia's Cacao bit. Watch it here!