Serves 2 to 4.

Ingredients

• 2 cups raw milk*
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sweetener (xylitol, raw honey, etc.)
• 1/2 cup tapioca powder/flour
• Pinch salt
• 1/4 cup raw, organic cocoa powder*
• Whipped cream (optional)

Directions

Put milk, vanilla, and sweetener (if liquid) into medium saucepan.

Combine tapioca, sweetener (if dry), salt, and cocoa powder in bowl or measuring cup.  Stir dry ingredients into wet.

Heat mixture on medium-low, stirring constantly.  When you begin to feel the tapioca forming on the bottom of the pan, you're close to finished.  Be careful to keep stirring the tapioca into the mixture to avoid lumps.

As soon as the pudding thickens, remove from heat.  Pour into a bowl or serving dishes and refrigerate.  Serve with whipped cream if desired.

* You may wonder why use raw ingredients if they're being cooked anyway.  The cooking is gentle and not very long, and starting with the best ingredients yields the most nutritious results.

Cocoa powder is a pretty powerful flavoring, so the amount can be adjusted downward if you want a less chocolately flavor.  As an alternative, you can omit the cocoa and make vanilla pudding...you may not even need to add more vanilla extract, which is also a powerful flavoring.