Note from Heather: A huge thanks to Jessi for this amazingly delicious recipe and guest post! I believe I found Jessi’s beautiful blog when she guest posted over at Paleo Crumbs. I immediately loved her amazing photography and simple, delicious-looking recipes! Right now I am totally salivating over the pictures of her Banana Bread Drop Cookies as well as many other recipes on her blog! Do yourself a favor and check out her blog, Jessi’s Kitchen, and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram!
Take it away Jessi…
I am really excited that Heather asked me to guest post over on her blog. One thing that I really love about this Paleo/real food community is all the awesome people I have been able meet and connect with that I probably would not have known otherwise.
I also love that Heather has found such a love and passion for healthy food at such a young age. I definitely could have benefitted from Paleo as a teenager (hah).
Here are a few quick things about me before I tell you about the recipe. I run the blog Jessi’s Kitchen. I started it almost two years ago when I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. I have always been a major foodie and cooking has always been basically therapy for me. I wanted to make sure that I kept cooking fun for me so I decided to start the blog as a motivation to change my diet, heal and enjoy the process. It really has been such an amazing blessing to my life and huge part of my healing process. Alright, now lets talk about the paleo parfaits recipe.
A few weeks back I decided I wanted to make some chocolate pudding and what evolved was this recipe I am sharing today. I decided to use all unsweetened chocolate for the recipe so that I could control how much sweetener goes in. I have found that to be very helpful during times I am watching my sugar intake. I use full fat coconut milk as the base and then use chia seeds to thicken the mixture up. I like to throw the mixture in the blender to puree the chia seeds and allow the pudding to have the creamy texture we all love. Although this is not a super traditional way to make chocolate pudding I really love the results. It does end up being pretty thick so if you prefer it to be less you can always reduce the amount of chia seeds.
The berry mixture is made in just a few minutes and then all you really have to do is wait for it to cool. You can layer the pudding, berries and coconut in small jars for a beautiful presentation or you can just quickly throw them all in a bowl and enjoy!
- 1 can [url href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001HTJ2BQ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001HTJ2BQ&linkCode=as2&tag=coituppa-20&linkId=ZZBN7PH4UXJEXHTN” target=”_blank”]full-fat coconut milk[/url]
- 3 ounces [url href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004NSMS96/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004NSMS96&linkCode=as2&tag=coituppa-20&linkId=LLCXCX2AKJUWWX32″ target=”_blank”]unsweetened chocolate[/url], chopped
- 3 Tbsp [url href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0082306OW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0082306OW&linkCode=as2&tag=coituppa-20&linkId=HFEL5XYY4YGHAJ5J” target=”_blank”]cocoa powder[/url]
- ½ cup [url href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005P0LW66/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005P0LW66&linkCode=as2&tag=coituppa-20&linkId=NQ77BFXMKUO345OW” target=”_blank”]maple syrup[/url]
- 2 tsp [url href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001HTI88E/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001HTI88E&linkCode=as2&tag=coituppa-20&linkId=5FAFHWLJ5LMP2RJE” target=”_blank”]vanilla extract[/url]
- 1/8 tsp [url href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E6BRUW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000E6BRUW&linkCode=as2&tag=coituppa-20&linkId=INWBMVBRXRDGXD36″ target=”_blank”]sea salt[/url]
- ¼ cup [url href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CGTN1I/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001CGTN1I&linkCode=as2&tag=coituppa-20&linkId=TAFTVIOOUW4B5KXZ” target=”_blank”]chia seeds[/url]
- 1.5 cups [url href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B03W6QM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00B03W6QM&linkCode=as2&tag=coituppa-20&linkId=SY5RWNKC7VVUBEXR” target=”_blank”]frozen mixed berries[/url]
- ½ cup [url href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F4D5GC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000F4D5GC&linkCode=as2&tag=coituppa-20&linkId=ZF7JJFG7F2KUDTV4″ target=”_blank”]shredded coconut[/url]
- Heat a saucepan over medium heat and add the coconut milk and chopped chocolate and stir frequently until chocolate is mostly melted.
- Add the cocoa powder and whisk it thoroughly. Add the maple syrup, vanilla extract and sea salt and mix until combine.
- Take the saucepan off the heat and mix in the chia seeds. Let the mixture cool down to room temperature. Approximately 10-15 minutes.
- While the pudding is cooling place the mixed berries in a saucepan over medium heat and cover with a lid.
- Cook the berries until they are broken down and resemble a thick jam. Put the mixed berries in a container and let cool in the refrigerator.
- Once the pudding mixture has cooled put it in a high-speed blender and blend for about 1 minute or until smooth. If it has trouble blending add a little bit more coconut milk to get it mixing.
- Place pudding mixture in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until pudding is cold.
- You can layer the pudding, mixed berries and shredded coconut in small jars or you can serve in small bowls.
If you buy something through one of the links in my sidebars or posts, I may receive a small commission to support my blogging activities, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support.
Shared at Allergy-Free Wednesday, Savoring Saturdays
Thanks so much for sharing this beautiful recipe with us at Savoring Saturdays linky party! It’s so pretty! I’ll be featuring it tomorrow when the party goes live. Hope you’ll join us again.
These look delicious!
Lovely! And chocolate and berries are a great combination. I’m looking forward to trying the chocolate pudding with coconut milk. Visiting from savoring Saturday.
Jessi,
Your chocolate berry parfait is absolutely beautiful!! It looks more lovely than any traditional parfait I have ever laid eyes on. I am so craving this right now! Thanks for sharing your recipe!!
And the photo of you is too darling. I am so jealous of the shelving you have behind you and uber cute dishes and such. I would love to transport it all right into my kitchen!
Cheers!
Andrea