Vegan Chocolate Mocha Pudding

This was the first vegan dessert I ever made. Having a chocolate craving one night; I searched for something in my new, cleaned out pantry for something to fit the bill. I had no desire what so ever to experiment with beets and cocoa brownies, etc. So NOT "me".  I came up empty. Not a cocoa flavored anything in there.. though I continued to stare in hope for awhile.  
I later discovered a chocolate pudding recipe on the website thedailygreen and added a few of my own ingredients to it.  To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement. It rocked! Total chocolate bliss and waaaay more depth of flavor than anything old Bill used to hack on TV back in the day.  I can now make it in the time it would take my man to make a candy bar run.  If your a woman and you have to have just one satisfying go-to chocolate recipe in your arsenal for "emergencies" This is it!
VEGAN CHOCOLATE Mocha PUDDING
Servings: 2-4 depending on who rocked the hormonal boat that day 
INGREDIENTS:
1 box firm or extra firm Tofu *
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
3/4 cup of sugar or slightly more to taste
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon instant coffee
Pinch or two of sea or kosher salt

 PREPARATION: 
Open the block of tofu and set it in a strainer lined with paper towel to drain excess moisture/water for a minute while your gathering other ingredients. 

Toss the tofu and all other ingredients in a blender until well mixed.  Taste and adjust flavor as necessary. 

Pour into lidded small bowl or cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate about one hour in order for the pudding's flavor to develop and consistency to re-set up. 
Serve in a pretty dessert cup/sorbet glass with fresh berries, sprinkled with vegan chocolate chips or the house favorite, sliced banana AND vegan choco-chips! 

* You can eat the pudding straight out of the blender if you want...desperate times call for fast munching sometimes! but you'll have a better consistency and depth of flavor if you allow the ingredients time to do their thing.
*You may want a touch more cocoa flavor or as with me? More of a mocha flavor...I love anything coffee and if its mixed with chocolate? Ahhhh. So when I want mocha flavor, I add instant coffee
*I use Mori Nu exclusively because it has a fantastic shelf life and I don't have to worry about changing the water as in other standard produce aisle bought tofu. Who has time for that?
* Use the best cocoa you can find/afford 
*Use good quality pure vanilla extract NOT imitation! As a newbie you'll find yourself having to fake your way through enough in terms of substitutions...don't mess with the quality of ingredients


For the "newbies"? (Learning vegan/vegetarian cooking) I will admit straight up that tofu anything just sounded nasty. When I first started experimenting with the recipe, I was very skeptical about using tofu as a dessert base but I have since learned that because of the variety in density that you can buy it? (Smooth, firm, extra firm) It is THE most versatile item to have in your vegetarian fridge.  I always have 3-6 boxes of Mori Nu on hand.