Vegan Pumpkin Cashew Pudding

Ingredients

For the pudding:

• 1 cup cashews, soaked
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (homemade or canned)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 ground nutmeg
• Dash cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

For the whipped cream:

• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons organic powdered sugar (use less or substitute with sweetener of choice)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the parfait:

• 1 cup of your favorite granola, toasted nuts, chopped dried fruit, toasted buckwheat groats or chopped chocolate

Directions

1. To prepare the whipped cream, place your can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight. The next day, open it up and scoop out the solidified coconut cream on top. (You can save the liquid for smoothies, or discard it). Place the cream topping in a medium-sized mixing bowl, and use a hand beater to beat the cream on high till fluffy, about 3-4 minutes, or until it’s creamy and smooth and forms very soft peaks. Add the powdered sugar/sweetener and vanilla and beat for another minute or so. Refrigerate the whipped cream till you’re ready to use (it will harden a bit).

2. To prepare the pudding, place all pudding ingredients into a high-speed blender or a food processor. Blend till smooth (about 2-3 minutes), stopping as needed to scrape the container down with a spatula. Transfer the pudding to the fridge until you’re ready to use.

3. To assemble the parfaits, simply scoop the pudding by the half cup into serving bowls, top with a spoonful of whipped cream and then sprinkle with two tablespoons of your crunchy topping.

4. Serve and enjoy!