I know, I know, how can a healthy food blogger post something as decadent as chocolate mousse? Well, to start, it’s made from avocados, so it isn’t all bad. Plus, we healthy vegans need something decadent every once in awhile, right? If you’re trying to lose weight, then I highly suggest you don’t read past my Weekly Wrap-Up. I’ll even spare you the photo of my luscious creation until later in the post (note: I am going to work on a low-fat version of this mousse ASAP).
Before we get to the incredible mousse recipe and photos that I made yesterday, here’s a quick wrap-up of the posts I wrote this week in case you missed any of them.
I won’t get to see this punkin’ again until late May, but I’m already dreaming of baby snuggles with him. While I was on the road, I enjoyed some of my gluten-free, no-sugar added Cookies for All Seasons that helped satisfy me for breakfast and dessert (this is a major feat for me because I am always ravenous when I travel). They are only sweetened with bananas, applesauce and dried fruit and they are an ideal treat for someone who is eating a very clean, healthy vegan diet (or for kids!). These cookies would be a great alternative to the chocolate mousse recipe I am about to post.
The cookies looked like this and the printable recipe is here:
On Tuesday, March 20th, I celebrated national Meatout Day with some great meat-free recipes including mine for Curried Tempeh Tacos. I also posted a recipe here for a healthy-version of my Chocolate Cherry Bomb smoothie made with a secret ingredient (two cups of frozen broccoli florets). Even with the green vegetables, the smoothie stays a beautiful red color so husbands’, kids’, and even your own tastebuds won’t know that there are vegetables in this smoothie:
For “What I Ate” Wednesday, I posted a photo journal of all my food intake from the previous day (you can see that post here). I also wrote about finding sustained energy for a busy life and how my energy levels have transformed since cleaning up my diet.
The next day, Thursday, March 22nd, I posted the three resources that helped me begin my journey to a healthy, vegan life. You can read the comments on that post (found here) for some other excellent suggestions from readers. Oh yeah, I also posted some embarrassing pictures of myself taken throughout the years. Yikes!
Yesterday, Friday, I posted a new “cream” sauce that I’ve been using on steamed greens. It’s made from sesame seeds and cashews plus lemons and vinegar. The recipe can be found here, the sauce looks like this:
I also used this post to compile some of my other favorite sauces to use on vegetables to make them taste delicious. Who knew that healthy foods could taste so good? It is possible.
Now it’s time to get to what you’ve all been waiting for…the Mousse recipe!!! How does one make a rich, velvety, mind-blowing dessert without using any butter or eggs? It all starts with two ripe avocados:
The idea is to blend the avocados with a sweetener like dates and cacao powder to transform the texture into velvety chocolate. A high-speed blender is required to fully blend the dates. If you want to use a food processor, it is okay to do so, but it just won’t be quite as smooth. I would highly suggest you soak your dates first if you are going to use a food processor, this will help blend them.
Using the Vitamix, I combined the main ingredients: avos, dates and cacao powder. I used soy milk as the liquid, but any non-dairy milk would be fine. I also added a small block of tofu to help fill out the mousse plus some vanilla for flavor and flax meal just ‘cuz.
All of the ingredients got put together in a not-so-pretty package:
But, minutes later, I had this lovely dish of chocolate, fluffy decadence:
Seriously. Best. Dessert. Ever. As I mentioned in my intro, I’m going to work on a low-fat version of this as soon as next week. I enjoy being able to have healthy treats on a daily basis, but with two large avocados and 12 large dates, this version is a “special occasion” kind of dessert.
The recipe:
Decadent Vegan Chocolate Mousse – Makes 4 Servings
Ingredients:
2 large ripe avocados
10-12 large pitted dates (start with fewer dates and add more until you reach the desired sweetness)
1 ounce of tofu or about a 2 inch by 2 inch piece (optional)
1 1/2 – 2 cups of unsweetened soy milk or your favorite non-dairy milk (if you are using a sweetened version, then cut way back on your dates)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cacao powder
1 teaspoon flax meal (optional)
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender and whirl on highest speed possible. You may need to add more non-dairy milk to help blend. Also, be sure to taste during the process to see if it needs more dates (start with fewer and then add more if needed).
I should note that I was inspired to make this recipe by my blogging friend Lisa who writes at Thrive Style (it’s one of the only non-vegan food blogs I read, mainly because Lisa is just a cool chick). She wrote about her Chocolate Avocado Pudding here and it reminded me of mine that I made once a super-long time ago.
Have a wonderful weekend, friends! I’m hoping to do some fun stuff combined with a few school projects plus finally cracking open my new pressure cooking book that arrived last week!
See you back here on Monday with some (hopefully) more delicious, healthy recipes!
P.S. Don’t forget you can find me on Facebook here and Twitter here. I’m also building some cool boards on Pinterest now, too!
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
This looks really tasty. I have a friend who makes bean fudge. It uses dehydrated refried beans and cocoa among other stuff. Tasted just like fudge, too
How long do dates keep in the refrigerator? Do they have to be refrigerated? Or if they are sealed in a package are they okay for awhile?
Hi Robyn! Ohhhhh, bean fudge…sign me up!
I have made black bean brownies before (I haven’t posted the recipe) and they were pretty amazing. I absolutely love sneaking in healthy ingredients into traditionally “unhealthy” foods like desserts. Dates keep a really long time, they can even be stored in the freezer for months (maybe even a year?). I keep mine in the fridge and go through a box at least monthly. They get a little hard when they are cold which can make them harder to pit, but sometimes I just let them sit on the counter for 15 minutes or so to be able to get them open easier.
I notice you always use cacao instead of cocoa. Is there a reason for that? What is the difference in taste, nutritional value, etc? I usually use unsweetened cocoa powder, but want to look into cacao…do they swap really easily?
Hi Shelby! Great question. I use cacao because it’s raw and hasn’t been roasted which could potentially reduce the antioxidant content or cause the formation of compounds that I don’t want. Cocoa powder and cacao powder can be used interchangeably as far as the amount used in recipes. I don’t see the problem with continuing to use cocoa powder though, I am just a little weird about that kind of thing.
I don’t think that is weird of you at all…very good reason for using cacao! Thanks for the info!
It’s a crazy world isn’t it? …..mousse out of avocados, what will we think of next!
I love the idea of adding things to it, and have tried a couple different variations, but so far nothing has turned out exceptionally well (but I hadn’t thought of tofu!).
I did a strawberry version yesterday that has potential, but needs tweaking! I’m super interested to see what ideas you come up with for it too—sometimes I eat it for breakfast (I know….chocolate mousse for breakfast!), and then I’m not hungry all day because it is so filling…
I’ve heard of adding bananas for bulking it up a bit, but haven’t tried it yet!
Hi Lisa! I love the idea of adding bananas or strawberries to this mousse; I can’t wait to see your recipe. I’m looking for a way to cut back on the avocado to make it not quite so rich. I’m going to try silken tofu for my “low-fat” version. Have a fabulous weekend and thanks again for the inspiration!
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