What does Coconut Lilikoi Tapioca Pudding and Hiking Trails have in common? They’re both mood enhancers and fun to experience with friends. Mix in the super foods and this vegan dessert becomes a yes brainer!My girlfriend and I have made a ritual of getting together on Saturday mornings for hikes through the mossy, green forests of Maui, Hawai’i. Our favorite hiking trail is Iao Valley, a lush stream cut valley in West Maui.I am starting to get the sense that a certain aspect of the Valley’s history is symbolic to our lives. Once the location of the bloodiest battles in Hawai’i, it eventually became a burial ground for Hawaiian royalty. Besides the physical benefits we receive, my friend and I use the nature reserve as a burial ground for the stressful thoughts we accumulate over the week. We dig them deep into the ground as we talk story, obsess over our jobs, and talk giddily about the men in our lives. Occasionally, we hug the trees.As we ended last week’s excursion, ravenous for something healthy and hardy, we headed to Kahului’s Alive and Well health food store for lunch.

I browsed the glass countertop displays, anxious to get everything in my mouth – from the Vegan Enchiladas to the Arugula Cranberry Salad.  I grabbed a lunch plate and a bottle of Coconut Water and just as I was about to check out, I felt something peering at me from the corner of my eye, pulling me into its delectable arms.  Within a small, dessert container laid the creamy contents of Coconut Lilikoi Tapioca, a sweet pudding made with tapioca pearls and other natural ingredients.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I grabbed the dessert and rushed to the checkout aisle.

Since that memorable day, I have been attempting to make Coconut Lilikoi Tapioca at home, but it hasn’t quite matched health food store standards. I pulled up a few recipes from the Internet and they all vary in ingredients and measurements; some are vegan, some use egg yolk and dairy products (there’s even a famous Rachel Ray Tapioca Pudding).

After sampling the recipe on a few friends and receiving compliments as fake as Snooki’s tan, I decided to make a trip to Alive and Well.  I noticed the ingredients posted on the countertop display, so I jotted them down on a piece of paper and went home to try to them out.

Here is the recipe I came up with, using their ingredients:

- – - -

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of tapioca pearls
1 ¼ cup of coconut milk
1/2  cup of almond milk
1/3 cup of sugar
2 tbsp of lilikoi (passionfruit) juice
1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tsp of agave syrup
1 tsp of sea salt

*I used all organic ingredients.

Instructions:

Soak tapioca pearls with coconut milk for 15-20 minutes
Simmer for 5 minutes
Add almond milk, sugar, agave syrup, vanilla extract, and sea salt
Stir contents and bring to a boil
Add lilikoi juice
Pour in a bowl and refrigerate
Allow it to sit for a couple of hours and serve.

- – - -

I must say, it was worth the extra trip to the store, as my latest attempt proved successful.  How could  I tell?  No more pity stares from friends, only quiet, authentic smiles were shared.

Photo Credits go to: Kyle Pattison (724-448-5712)