Pudding can be delicious, but it’s not always your waistline’s best friend. Packed with sugar, dairy and thickening agents, the average pudding recipe is a digestion disaster waiting to happen.

This pudding recipe is entirely vegan and packed with antioxidants, healthy fats and low-glycemic sweetener. Better yet, it takes only a few minutes to whip up.

Matcha is a fine powder green tea with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which makes up 60 percent of matcha green tea’s catechins, which are believed to fight cancer. Matcha green tea also contains L-theanine, which has been shown to reduce physiological and psychological stresses as well as improve memory.

The banana and maple syrup provide the pudding with subtle sweetness while the coconut milk balances the various flavors, adds a creamy texture and boosts your body with healthy fats. Moreover, coconut milk acts as a panacea of sorts in your body, going as far as to help you lose weight, normalize blood sugar levels, build strong bones, fight infection, lower cholesterol and treat arthritis. It can do no wrong, really, and is the perfect substitution for dairy in this matcha green tea pudding recipe. Enjoy!

Matcha Green Tea Pudding

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 bananas, peeled and frozen
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon matcha green tea
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• Dash of sea salt

Directions Peel and chop the bananas. Add the pieces to a zip-lock bag and toss into the freezer for at least 2-3 hours or until frozen. Add the frozen bananas to a food processor with the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Serve and enjoy!

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Photo Credit: Jun -Dai Bates-Kobashigawa

The post Vegan Matcha Green Tea Pudding Recipe with Coconut Milk and Maple appeared first on EcoSalon.

Stayed home on Black Friday? Good. Here are some gifts you can buy for the comfort of your own home.

Our favorite eco-retailer, VivaTerra, is having a fantastic holiday sale, just in time for dressing your house up in seasonal, original  fun. These five gems are all 50% off, so you’re within your rights to buy two – one as a gift and, ahem (whisper), one for yourself.

With bijou desserts still all the rage, this branch pedestal server ($87) will display your mini-puds to dramatic effect. Designed as a little tree, it has two levels  – one large and one small – with a butterfly delicately perched on the edge of the upper tray. Besides, we’ve been lusting after it for a while.

Finding a unique holder for those table essentials is always a challenge, which is why we love this chirpy bird salt and pepper set ($12). Their shape is smooth and tactile, with a tiny beak and graceful body – they dispense through a discreet opening on their heads. We like their subtle color distinction.

We’re always on the lookout for new ways to present cheese. This ingenious puzzle board ($29) will make your fromage serving both fun and fabulous.

Having limited kitchen space myself, an all-in-one tower which performs no less than five functions is a winner. This minimalist white ceramic tea tower ($27) features storage and presentation for your teapot, tea cup, saucer, sugar and cream.

These glass numbers are designed to echo familiar shapes: the carton ($12) for your cream and the sack ($14) for your sugar. The Milk carton creamer and sugar sack: perfect for the surrealist tea party.

Images: Andrew Warchy; VivaTerra

The post 50% Off and More from VivaTerra: The Kinder Way to Shop appeared first on EcoSalon.