pudding

Pudding was one of my favorite things to eat growing up. I remember downing 4-packs of chocolate pudding in one sitting like it was no big deal. I’d also like to clarify that I can still do that. Yes, I’m a totally sophisticated adult now, but my admiration for all things pudding has never ceased.

And really, who doesn’t love pudding? It’s creamy. It’s sweet. It’s reminiscent of childhood afternoons and school lunches. *~*sigh*~* If only all things in life could be as perfect as the humble food that is pudding.

Anyways, I was inspired by the #madewithchobani campaign to participate in using Chobani in a recipe!  There are a million things you can do with yogurt, in snacking, breakfast, sweet and savory cooking, and the possibilities are truly endless. At first I was overwhelmed by all the different directions I could go! And then, last weekend, I popped into Magnolia Bakery in the West Village and was greeted by all those lovely pots of their famous banana pudding.

Have you ever had Magnolia’s banana pudding? It’s ridiculous. I never thought I would like banana pudding, but this banana pudding changed me. Unfortunately, that pudding is both too expensive and too rich to enjoy on a daily basis. It’s also not available in most part of the country.

But then, it hit me: I could re-create it at home! And make it light and nutritious enough to enjoy as an everyday snack. So I made a quick, 3-ingredient version, free from heavy cream, whole milk, boxed pudding mix (which I mean really, who even knows what’s in that stuff), and full of simply, natural things that still taste delicious. Vanilla Greek Yogurt really worked well in place of pudding, as it has a similar flavor and mouthfeel, and absorbed nicely into the vanilla wafers, giving you all that satisfying gooey-crunchy textural contrast of a rich banana cream pudding. MmMmM my mouth is watering just thinking about it (Lucky for me, I have some leftover in my fridge…)

This is literally the easiest thing EVER to make. It’s three ingredients (four if you add a dollop of whipped cream ;-)) and takes less than five minutes to make. It’s sweet and satisfying without feeling super junky, and it can be eaten for breakfast, a snack, or dessert. It will also keep you full and happy for quite a little while without making you feel gross.

I pureed a ripe banana into the yogurt for a little bit of extra banana-i-ness. I dug this. But if you’d like, you can skip this step. You can also customize this simple recipe in a few other ways. For example, I used vanilla yogurt, but thought Coconut would work wonderfully as well. You can also play with the wafers – subbing graham crackers or any crunchy, sweet, cookie-like cracker would mimic the same effect. Natural animal crackers would also be delicious, not to mention adorable. It’s all up to you! Enjoy and happy pudding eating :-).

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Level: Easy

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 6-oz containers or 1.5 cups vanilla yogurt (I used 0% Vanilla Chobani. The 2% Coconut Chobani would also be amazing!)
• 2-3 bananas
• 3/4 cup vanilla wafers or graham crackers

Directions:

1. Empty yogurt containers into a food processor or blender and add one sliced banana. Puree until smooth.

2. Slice another banana or two (depending on how many banana slices you like).

3. In a glass, bowl, or parfait dish, layer a few heaping spoonfuls of yogurt/banana blend to cover the bottom of your dish. Top with a layer of vanilla wafers or graham crackers. Top that layer with a layer of yogurt/banana blend. Next, add a layer of sliced bananas, and cover those with another layer of yogurt. Repeat until you have a full glass of deliciousness. Garnish with whipped cream if desired and EAT ! 😀