Chocolate Mousse

I love chocolate as many of us do. I’ve found that I do better without most forms of dairy, at least the rich heavy creamy stuff. So, I am always looking for ways to enjoy many of the former foods that I loved before I said good-bye to dairy. Fortunately, today there are many ways to do enjoy those foods and even many restaurants are able to use substitutions this these days. Amazing and wonderful, isn’t it?

This recipe has the creamy goodness of avocado, but you’d never guess it. And, raw cacao is the new superfood; full of antioxidants and increases your serotonin levels to give you that blissful feeling we all love. I use a coconut milk when I make it and you could certainly experiment with Stevia to sweeten instead of the dates.  Or even, try a mixture of the two to find your perfect “blissful” version.

This Chocolate Mousse is a dessert that both my husband and I just love! This photo was taken on Valentine’s Day and sent to him in a text. As they say, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. The text back was “Holy Smokes! I guess I am heading home right now.” Worked like magic! 

Chocolate Mousse

This is a dairy-free chocolate mousse, using avocado that is easy and can be make in a high speed blender such as a Vitamix or a food processor. So healthy you could have it for breakfast. And, you’d never guess it has avocado in it!

• 2 medium avocados (ripe)
• 1/3 cup raw cacao powder (or more according to your taste)
• 5 fresh or dried dates (pitted, roughly chopped)
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch sea salt
• toasted coconut, chocolate nips, or berries (optional for garnish)

1. Soak the dates in warm water for 10-30 minutes to soften
2. Add avocado, dates, milk, vanilla, salt, and cacao powder to blender or food processor
3. Blend until smooth. You may need to add more liquid for easier blending. You may need tamper for Vitamix while blending and scraping sides at times.
4. Adjust ingredients to taste, adding more powder if needed
5. Serve and garnish with choice of toppings.

It is very stiff blending for me using the Vitamix, but it does work well. I do add a bit of the date water or more milk to add in blending. You could use any type of milk that you prefer. You could play with different types of extract for different flavors such as peppermint. I used sweetened cacao nips, raspberries, and mint leaves in the photo.

Courtesy of Food Matters TV