Mango Coconut Chia Pudding

I love healthy, low-fat dessert alternatives that actually taste good!
Recently in Chicago, we dined at an amazing restaurant called Baxter's where they served a Chia pudding to die for. Inspired by that, I created the below recipe for a Mango Coconut Chia Pudding I hope you'll love as much as I do.

What You'll Need:

• Large Bowl
• 1/3 cup chia seed
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Frying pan
• 1/2 cup of fresh mango (or frozen mango pieces that have been left to thaw)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut

What You'll Do:

• Empty the contents of your light coconut milk into your large mixing bowl
• Gently pour in your chia seeds and stir thouroughly until combined
• Stir in your cinnamon and vanilla
• Cover and let sit in the fridge for a minimum of four hours  
• Heat your frying pan and pour in your coconut, toast until lightly browned (I use a non-stick frying pan and find you don't need any oil to toast the shredded coconut). Once browned, place in a small bowl
• Chop your fresh (or thawed) mango into little, cubed pieces and keep cool in the fridge
• Once the pudding has set, you will notice the tiny chia seeds have now grown in size and the mixture is very gelatinous and thick. The seeds now look more like tapioca
• Portion out the pudding and place your chopped mango and toasted coconut on top
• Serve and enjoy

Super simple, super tasty and super healthy. This Mango Coconut Chia Pudding dessert is a healthy indulgence, perfect for a summertime dinner party.

The STEWART SCORE:
Appearance: Not going to lie here, it looks a little weird. Sort of like caviar...

Taste: 2

Ease: 2

Vegan Chocolate Cake

I ran out of butter and am making my husband his birthday cake.
I remembered making a Vegan chocolate cake once for a colleague's birthday (who was Vegan) and I dug out an old and trusty recipe I thought I would share with you all for days you want cake and have no butter.

What You'll Need:

• 1 cake pan - you can make this a square or round cake, or even cupcakes if you fancy - I chose a medium-sized round pan
• 1 large bowl, 1 small bowl
• 1/5 cups of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (I use the extra dark kind that is virtually sugar-free)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp vinegar (plain, not cider or rice, etc)
• 1 cup room temperature water

What You'll Do:

• Pre-heat your oven
• Lightly grease your baking pan
• In your large bowl sift your flour, sugars, cocoa, baking soda and salt together until fully combined
• In your small bowl pour in your oil, vanilla, vinegar then water
• Quickly whisk up until combined and bubbly
• Pour into your flour mixture and stir until smooth
• Pour into your baking pan
• Depending on the depth of your pan, or if you decided to make cupcakes, cooking times varies. For me it took around 25 minutes. I could tell it was done when the centre was no longer wiggly when moved about and when I could stick in a toothpick and it came out 'clean' (not gooey)
• Let cool and serve with your favourite ice cream or fruit topping - here is a link to a super simple cherry topping that is really easy to make and adds a nice zing

The STEWART SCORE
Appearance: 1.5
Taste: 2
Ease: 2