Finished dinner, still a bit hungry, feel like something sweet…but am eating a vegan diet. Fruit salad won’t cut it tonight. Should I cheat and have some chocolate? What can I make that will be ready in 5 minutes, be raw and vegan, but still satisfy my sweet craving?

This was my conundrum last night, and this is the invention that necessity was the mother of. Creamy caramel pudding with fresh banana; tasty, velvety, and oh so filling!

1/2 cup raw cashews

1.5 tablespoons coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon lucuma powder

1-2 tablespoons rice syrup/maple syrup (to taste)

1 banana

Extra maple syrup for drizzling

Blitz half the banana with all the other ingredients (except the extra syrup) in a blender until really smooth and creamy. Share it between 2 bowls. Slice the remaining banana over the top of the pudding, and if desired, drizzle over a bit of extra maple syrup and maybe shake some more cinnamon over the top.

This recipe is not technically raw if using maple syrup, which doesn’t bother me as it’s still a natural wholefood, but you could make it raw by substituting raw honey or rice syrup. Don’t worry if you don’t have lucuma; it adds a nice caramel flavour but won’t make a big difference if it’s not in there.