Chocolate Coffee Pudding

It's a Monday for sure. After the sweltering heat and diesel fueled excitement of the Brickyard 400 weekend (I'm including a link for those of you who missed the excitement), I'm sure I'm not the only one in Indianapolis who is thinking longingly of going back to bed. I think we all just need a pick-me-up. And what better way to rev up our engines--I'm kind of on a racecar kick, can't you tell?--than with chocolate AND coffee! After eating this decadent, lactose free, and rich in isoflavones pudding, you'll be ready for whatever green flag life throws at you! Okay, I'm stopping with the cheesy racing jokes. Enjoy!

Chocolate Coffee Pudding
Prep: 7 minutes Cook: 5 Minutes Chill time: 4 hours

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 tablespoon instant coffee granules

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 cups fat-free soy milk*

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium heavy saucepan, and stir well with a whisk. Gradually stir in milk, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute or until thick.

2. Remove from heat, and add chocolate stirring until melted. Stir in vanilla. Pour about 1/2 cup pudding into each of 4 dessert dishes; cover surface of pudding with plastic wrap. Chill at least 4 hours. Remove plastic wrap to serve. Yield: 4 servings.

*Tip: Look for soy milk in the organic or soy product section of your supermarket. It's usually sold in non-refrigerated quart and 8-ounce cartons, but you can also find it refrigerated in plastic containers near other refrigerated dairy products. Store unopened soy milk at room temperature for several months; once opened, store in the refrigerator for five days.

*Another tip: Since after reading this blog for so long, as I know all of you have, we should be experts in the ways of chocolate. So, it should be a no brainer when I tell you that if you want this to be truly lactose free, make sure that the chocolate products that you use are high in cocoa percentage. If you use milk chocolate, there will be lactose in the pudding due to the dairy content within the chocolate. Get it? Good!

So, ladies and gentlemen start your engines with this tasty chocolate pudding! And remember, Chocolate Fest is coming up soon! Keep your eyes open for tickets and event updates!

Recipe from "All-New Complete Cooking Light Cookbook"