Mocha Cinnamon Pudding

It's February 14 today! Happy Valentine's and Friendship Day everyone!

What does this day mean to you? Is it just another day in the calander year? Is it a day for you to celebrate with your special someone? Is it more of a Friendship Day than a Lover's Day? Is it a day with lots of sweet indulgences? Or is it a day where you slave away in the kitchen?

In Japan, February 14 is a basically the day for women to give men chocolates or gifts. It is a day for women to profess their love to guys they admire or love by giving them chocolates. Beautifully packaged chocolates are widely sold during the period leading up to Valentine's Day. Besides giving chocolates to guys whom they like, Japanese women are also expected to give chocolates to male friends and co-workers. Such obligatory chocolates are called "giri-choco". Men who received chocolates or gifts on this day are then expected to give gifts back to the women on March 14th called White Day. Valentine's Day in Japan is certainly pretty commercialized and I think it's a stressful period for Japanese women.

Anyway, the theme for the Cookbook Challenge this fortnight is 'Love', and to show James how much I appreciated him, I made some of Mocha Cinnamon Pudding. I saw this recipe for the Runner's World magazine last week, and decided to make it because it's so full of goodness - it provides protein, calcium, and cinnamon antioxidants that protect against diabetes and heart diseases. I made this recipe dairy-free by using chocolate soy milk and dairy-free dark chocolate. It was soy-licious! Because it was so easy to make, I am sure I will make it again!

Mocha Cinnamon Pudding
Adapted from Runners World Magazine (Feb 2011 Issue)
Recipe by Pam Anderson of Perfect One Dish Dinners
Serves 4

Ingredients
1/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp instant coffee mix or espresso powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
2 cups low fat choc milk (I used choc soy milk to make it dairy free)
75g chocolate (70% cocoa), finely chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract (I used 1/2 vanilla bean)

For garnishing (optional)
Strawberries
Mint

Directions

1. Whisk the sugar, cornstarch, coffee, cinnamon and salt in a large saucepan. Stir in milk, and make sure dry ingredients are well mixed in before turning on the heat.
2. Cook mixture for about 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally at first, then frequently and constantly at the end, until mixture thickens to pudding consistency. 
3. Remove from heat ; add chocolate and vanilla, whisking until chocolate is smooth. Serve warm or pour into five containers, placing plastic wrap directly on the pudding surface to keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate up to five days. 
4. Garnish with strawberries and mint if preferred

For more healthier indulgent recipes, visit Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.