Foodie Monday: No Cook Banana Pudding

Sometimes, I am just lazy. The other day, I had too many apples and a hankering for apple pie. Instead of making the dough from scratch, I used some pre-made mini pie shells in my freezer and made Mini Bourbon Apple Crisps. I didn’t even take the peels off of the apples. I was just that lazy.

Second, to an amazing drool worthy cookie, pudding is on the top of my list as a favorite dessert. Basic pudding can easily be made on the stove using cornstarch. Remember, I said sometimes I am lazy . . .

I’ve been reading about Xanthan gum for a while now. It appears in so many products. At $11.99 a small bag at Whole Foods, I had no plans of purchasing it in the near future. Whole Foods has these delicious no oil salad dressings (I need to review them soon). Their vegan Caesar (20 calories/ 2 tbsp!) is my favorite. Unfortunately, with the introduction of new no oil salad dressing flavors, it isn’t always in stock. I took a picture of the ingredients for the Caesar dressing from the back of the bottle. When I found it out of stock again, I referenced my photo of the ingredients and set out to make my own.

The last ingredient was Xanthan gum. I caved and bought the overpriced bag of Xanthan gum. Upon successfully making my vegan Caesar dressing (recipe coming soon), I noticed that the dressing came out thick and creamy. If I could do that to salad dressing, imagine what I could do with pudding!

Now, Xanthan Gum is a bacteria ground into a powder used to make liquid gelatinous. Some say since it isn’t found in nature, it places it under the processed foods category. I say if this is the one of the few things I am eating (in moderation) that are considered “processed,” then things aren’t so bad! Pfftt! I pick and choose my battles . . .

NO COOK BANANA PUDDING
Prep Time: 0 min!
Cook Time: None!
Cooling Time: 0 min!
Total TIme: 2 min!
Serves: 4
Equipment Needed: Blender, mortar and pestle (optional) for making cookie crumbs

INGREDIENTS:
2 c Coconut Milk
1 Banana
1 tbsp Sugar (any kind will do)
2 tbsp Vanilla Extract
1 tbsp Xanthan Gum
1 sandwich cookie, crumbled (Trader Joe-Joe’s or Whole Foods’s 365 brand are delicious!)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Place all ingredients in blender
2. Blend until smooth
3. Scoop pudding into bowls
4. Top with sandwich cookie crumbs
3. Enjoy!