Chocolate-Banana Pudding

"Chocolate-Banana Pudding" (page 474) is pure chocolate decadence. Made with melted semisweet chocolate chips, the end result is not quite as soft as a traditional pudding (the final mixture firms up quite a bit); to me this had an almost fudge-like quality. The ingredients list is simple. Melted chocolate chips blended into puréed banana, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, and topped off with roasted chopped peanuts. The recipe serves six, and even though that might seem like small servings when you are dividing it up, this dessert is so rich the six servings recommendation makes perfect sense. Be sure to use vegan chocolate chips to keep this McDougall friendly. Not a lowfat dessert whatsoever, but occasionally I find comparable recipes in the McDougall books and newsletters. Definitely to be reserved for very special occasions!