Secret Ingredient Chocolate Pudding from Mark Bittman 
32 | Posted on October 28, 2010 ‹ newer older ›
After last week's success of secret ingredient brownies, Snack Girl decided to try another version of chocolate pudding from her favorite cookbook author.
My favorite cookbook author is Mark Bittman (see his website here: Mark Bittman) and I was thrilled to get my hands on his newly published, "The Food Matters Cook Book: 500 Revolutionary Recipes For Better Living".
From the book jacket:
There is no finger-wagging here, just a no-nonsense and highly flexible case for eating more plants while cutting back on animal products, processed food, and of course junk.
Sounds like my kinda book.
What can I say? I have all the man's cookbooks and almost every day I refer to them. The recipes are easy, tasty, and HEALTHY.
When I saw Mark Bittman's Chocolate-Banana Pudding Parfaits recipe, I just had to try it. The secret ingredient? Well, it is silken tofu and I would never have mixed chocolate and tofu unless Mark Bittman told me it was a good idea.
Wouldn't you just destroy a perfectly delicious block of chocolate by adding tofu? Usually pudding recipes include milk and eggs and I wasn't sure it was going to work. But, it does!
I was able to find a lite version of silken tofu in the refrigerated area of my produce section. I have tried silken tofu in smoothies, and it works great there.
The thing that is so cool about this recipe, is not only are you cutting the saturated fat in half by not using milk, it is EASIER to make the pudding with tofu. You don't even have to use your stove! I melted my chocolate in the microwave.
This pudding is still a treat, but one that is a bit healthier than regular pudding.
Simon & Schuster is giving away a copy of The Food Matters Cookbook to a lucky Snack Girl reader. To enter please comment on how you make food tasty without meat.
Chocolate-Banana Pudding Parfaits Recipe
(excerpted with permission from The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman)
Pudding without milk? Yes. The "secret" is silken tofu, which has a surprisingly non-beany flavor and smooth texture. To make either all chocolate or all banana pudding, omit one form the ingredient list and double the other.
(4-6 servings)
1/2 cup sugar
1 pound soft silken tofu
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas
1/8 teaspoon salt
1. Put the sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil and cook until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Chill for at least 10 minutes.
2. Put half the sugar syrup, half the tofu, all of the chocolate, and the vanilla in a food processor or blender and puree until completely smooth. Transfer to a bowl and rinse out the machine.
3. Put the remaining sugar syrup, remaining 1/2 pound tofu, the bananas, and salt in the food processor or blender and puree until completely smooth.
4. Cover the bowls of pudding with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to several hours. Before serving, stir each until smooth. Layer alternate spoonfuls of the puddings in tall glasses or champagne flutes.
233 calories, 7.8g fat, 39.8 g carbohydrates, 4.8 g protein
How do you feature tofu in recipes?
The Food Matters Cookbook: 500 Revolutionary Recipes for Better Living
$35.00 $23.10
What will I win?
A copy of "The Food Matters Cookbook" by Mark Bittman ($20 value).
How do I enter?
Comment below on how you make food tasty without meat.
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Snack-Girl can follow and count all the additional entries using magical website tools.
Am I eligible to enter?
This giveaway is offered to US residents only.
When do I find out if I am the winner?
The winner will be announced on November 4th, 2010. You will have 2 weeks to e-mail us back with your home address so we can mail the prize. -
Want to read about snacks?
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First 20 Comments: [ see all 32 ]
I have made that recipe and both my daughter and I love it! Besides deserts and baking, I like to use tofu in soups! Tofu is a great substitute in baking because it is light.
gina@concierge4moms on October 28, 2010
I've made a silken tofu/chocolate pudding pie - just pour it in a pie crust and put in the fridge. It's kind of cheesecakey and I've fooled some non-tofu-eaters with it.
I'm a vegetarian so the answer to how to make my food tasty without meat is just...by eating. ;)
Marla on October 28, 2010
I'm still searching for ways to make food tasty without meat, being that I'm married to a carnivore who doesn't like beans! For myself, though, the answer is CHEESE!
Robin on October 28, 2010
Tofu added to soups is great! I also love making a veggie lasagna by substituting eggplant for noodles.
Amye on October 28, 2010
I am married to a carnivore who hates beans, so I use lots of different spices and quinoa.
Kelly J on October 28, 2010
My favorite substitution for meat-on-a-bun: portobello mushrooms!
Raina on October 28, 2010
My son doesn't like lunchmeat, but he loves mini pita breads stuffed with hummus and raisins. I think the mini size has some appeal.
Maxine on October 28, 2010
I like adding canned pumpkin to make foods hearty and healthy. :)
Cristina on October 28, 2010
I often replace meat with beans. My family loves their meat, but we've successfully reduced our consumption by replacing part of the meat with beans and/or grains in recipes like sloppy joes, burritos and even burgers. One of our fav recipes is Mark Bittman's burgers made with bulgur and other grains.
Julie on October 28, 2010
Sometimes I use eggplant or mushrooms in place of meat
Cheryl Korman on October 28, 2010
I love cheese! It's a great remedy for adding meatless protein to veggies, salads, side dishes & entrees.
Renata on October 28, 2010
Hummus and chickpeas work well for adding protein to meals. :)
Georgiana on October 28, 2010
We add beans and veggies to everything in place of meat products.
Jacqui on October 28, 2010
Who needs meet to make tasty meals? I love to make meals with vegetables, whole grains, yummy cheese, tofu, pasta, lentils, beans--so many options for delicious, family-friendly meatless meals. P.S. I love Mark Bittman!
Aviva Goldfarb on October 28, 2010
My favorite ways to make a recipe filling and meaty without meat is by using beans or mushrooms. I haven't really played with tofu yet but I think it's time.
Heather on October 28, 2010
We add beans, veggies and cheese whenever possible. I have also tried tofu in chocolate pie and it was yummy!
Sonj on October 28, 2010
I have never thought of using silken tofu as a replacement but that's a great idea and definitely have to try! Thanks for the suggestion! :-)
Two of our main replacements for meats are mushrooms and quinoa! We will sautee mushrooms with Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (to get some amino acids) and some seasoning such as spike veggie.
If you love soup on a fall/winter evening, we sometimes add chicken broth to the mushrooms to make a delicious warm soup! :-)
Not sure if you ever tried Bragg's Liquid Aminos but it’s a great replacement for Soy Sauce in recipes and does not contain any chemicals, artificial coloring, alcohol, preservatives, Gluten, Table Salt and is Certified NON-GMO! Also pretty yummy! :-) Just in case here's some more info on it - http://bit.ly/dBySfv
Enjoy and thanks again for great silken tofu tip! :-)
bodyhacker on October 28, 2010
My husband will try almost anything if there are mushrooms on the plate somewhere.
Anne on October 28, 2010
I love meat, but at home I don't actually cook meat myself. I guess mainly because it can be more difficult to cook? My favorite at home dish is noodle w/o meat! Just water (or well i guess chicken broth, does that count as "meat"? lol), bring to a boil, then i dump some japanese Wakame (dried seaweed often found in miso soup for example), wait until that unfurls, then dump in washed green veggies like the small green bakchoy (or however you spell it). I also cut white mushroom into slices and dump that in to the soup. while that's being done, i soak a bundle of vermicelli noodle (the super thin clear ones that often is featured in chinese hotpot) in hot water in a strainer to soften. The wakame usually is seasoned with salt so i haven't been adding any more salt to my soup. at the end, i just drain out the noodle, dump in a bowl, then dump the whole content of the boiling pot into the same bowl on top of the noodle (ala pho style). Finally i add a ton of hot sauce (next to salt, spiciness is my next vice haha).
no meat, and amazingly yummy. and best of all, vermicelli noodle seems to have way less starch/calories compared to regular Somen or Udon noodle, so really, i'm mainly eating veggies! :D
Shannon on October 28, 2010
We don't always feel full or content without something chunky in our dishes...that's why we like meat. Big chunks of mushrooms, bell peppers, all types of beans, and other bulky veggies will fill us up like meat. It's a lot healthier, too!
Susan on October 28, 2010
