It's Dessert Time! Recipe #5 - Banana Chocolate Mousse!

Hello Friends!

New year, new goals, and without fail, new hiccups. I missed my post last week because of poor planning and am late this week (should have posted yesterday!) for the same reason. Well, better late than never!

After a busy week and feeling more tired than usual, I've managed to stay out of the path of the flu bug and I'd like to credit that to listening to my body and resting to stay strong. So, for that I am NOT sorry for being late!  

In this recipe challenge, we've done a savory breakfast recipe, a full dinner, a side dish, and a snack. So, what's missing? DESSERT!  I'm always looking for tasty, rich, and healthy options for desserts. I like to try out the recipes before bringing to events or pot lucks, but it's always nice to share whole food, healthy options that still taste great!

Page 177 in "Eat Drink Shine" is Banana Chocolate Mousse!  

For this recipe, I made a run to my local Fresh Thyme store. While I had a couple items in my pantry, I needed to pick up the fresh ingredients and really enjoy roaming the aisles to see what interesting new offerings they have. I swear, it's the prettiest grocery store in town! While I can't usually afford to do my weekly shopping there (for cost and variety reasons), I really enjoy recipe trips there.

So, let's get started with the ingredients:

• 10 dates, pitted and soaked in water for 2-3 hours.
• 1 ripe banana, peeled and roughly sliced
• 3 ripe avocados, pitted and flesh scooped out of shells
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 1/2 cup raw cacao powder or carol powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

I often have both organic maple syrup and raw honey in the pantry, but I was running low on honey, so picked that up, along with the avocados, cacao powder and dates.  

As I prepped the ingredients, it occurred to me again that I don't have a food processor. I have a magic bullet and a Blendtec blender, and while I was able to hobble the two together to make this recipe work, I feel like it's time to go ahead and get myself a new kitchen toy. I've heard a rumor that Blendtec has a food processor "attachment" and that would make me SUPER happy. I do so love my blender. It just doesn't work as well when there's no liquid or when there isn't enough substance to what needs processed. It just gets knocked to the outside walls of the pitcher.

This recipe goes together very quickly:

• Place the drained dates in the food processor (magic bullet!) and process for 1 minute. The dates may ball up, but that is fine. (mine didn't, but it took a couple of stops/scrapes/restarts to get up to the minute and fully smooth out the dates.)
  Add the banana and avocados and process another minute. (This is where I moved to the Blendtec - there just wasn't room in the bullet!)
  Add maple syrup, honey, cacao and vanilla and process for 1 minute.
• Chill the mousse in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving (I chilled over night). Store in an airtight container; it will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
  
  I garnished with a shake of cacao powder and powdered sugar for contrast. I bet some fresh whipped cream on top with a sprig of mint would be amazing, too!

Divine Cocoa (raw cacao powder)

Of note:
First - How delicious is the smell, texture and taste of raw cacao? Wow... I thought "man, this little container is a little pricey and the package sure is pretty, but can it be worth it?"  Yes. Yes it is. The sense of smell can transport you to places you've been, places you've imagined or dreamed of, and just after popping the top off this little jar, I was GONE to a far off land of rich tastes and smells, and dreaming of decadent desserts, sweet mixed with spice, and warm sun on my face. Snap out of it, Jen!

Second - I've discovered that I prefer a much more mild banana flavor - so over ripe bananas aren't really my thing. I prefer a just-turned-yellow 'naner over the dark and ripe fruit. So, for future iterations of this recipe I'll use bananas that are closer to that new yellow stage. However, if you're a fan of a strong banana flavor, you'll LOVE this recipe.

This mouse is a thick, smooth, gorgeously dark chocolate treat. It smells divine (see what I did there?) and tastes like a big time splurge. 

Speaking of splurge, here's what it cost me to make it:

• Avocados - $.99 each - $2.97
• Dates - $2.34 (enough dates to make 2 batches and still sneak a few for snacks)
• Banana - I always have bananas on hand, but if you had to get them, you can usually get a bunch at $.59 per pound.
• Maple Syrup - Again, had this on hand, but for the good stuff you can expect to spend around $5.
• Cacao Powder - This is a little spendy, but in my opinion TOTALLY worth it. I can't wait to find another recipe that calls for it. $4.69
• Raw honey - I was running lo, so picked this up and a 16oz jar was $5.99. I chose raw, organic honey.  I have 3/4 of the jar left, so it'll be a while before I have to buy another bottle.
• Vanilla - Another pantry staple!

I gobbled up my portion, here's how pretty the other 3 were!

This recipe makes 4 generous servings, I'd say over a full cup each. Because of how rich it is, it could easily be split to 6 servings.  Grand Total: $21.58 or just $3.59 per person (with the 6 servings). 

The upside is, of course that once you have the pantry stocked, you could whip this up with a few items that need used up (bananas and avocados always seem to be in this category for me!). 

This mouse can also be used, according to the tip in the recipe book, as a vegan chocolate frosting or topping for cakes, cupcakes and ice cream. Now you're talking! I thought to myself while giving this a final wisking that it was a wonderful consistency for frosting or layered cake filling. 

What are your go-to healthy dessert recipes? I'd love to give one a try, so send it my way! Reach out in the comments! Sharing is caring, right?!

Until next time, here's to healthy meals, warm kitchens and full tummies! 

<3 Jen

Recipe #1 - Avocado Hollandaise

Hello Friends!

So, here I am, ready to share with you the first recipe I chose out of "Eat Drink Shine: Inspiration From Our Kitchen" -   Avocado Hollandaise!

Ok, ok... I know that a hollandaise sauce isn't really going big or going home - but I figured that it's best for me to start off small, you know, K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, stupid for those of you who didn't know).

Those who know me may notice how much I love 2 things: eggs and avocado. I eat them on the reg because they are versatile, packed with nutrients (protein, healthy fat, not to mention all those micronutrients) and DELICIOUS. So, when I opened the cook book to Chapter 1, Wake Up & Shine, I got a little excited. Several recipes in this chapter are close to recipes that I already enjoy. These Blissful Sisters and I were meant to be together!

So, let's get started: First, the shopping:

The very best part of this recipe is that I only needed to purchase ONE thing! Everything else I have on hand in my cupboards or frig, because, like I said, I eat them regularly.

• 1 ripe avocado (How do you know when an avocado is ripe?)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (took me about a quarter lemon to get this much juice.)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill (This is what I had to purchase, in the summer, my herbs & spices garden would have this for me!)
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (I used Tabasco)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (a pantry staple!)
• sea salt, to taste (we LOVE our pink Himalayan sea salt!)

Serving suggestion is to drizzle this hollandaise over poached or soft boiled eggs and on a bed of greens, so add to your list:

• eggs (for how ever many folks you're feeding - for me, 2 please)
• 1 handful of fresh/organic greens, spinach or kale. (I have spinach on hand for smoothies, salads, and more!)

... they also have an AMAZING sounding cured salmon recipe that calls for this sauce and/or an avocado mash. But that takes 3-4 days in the frig, so it's going to have to be put on the back burner. (Sorry for the kitchen pun, I can't help myself!)

Ok, now that we have our ingredients, let's get this creamy deliciousness started:

• Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, and scoop the flesh into a food processor or blender. (Blendtec for me!) Blend for 30 seconds or so.
• Add the lemon juice, dill and hot sauce and pulse two or three times. 
• Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and pulse until the mixture is smooth an pourable.  If the sauce is too thick, you can add water, a tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved.
• Season with salt just before serving.

While I LOVE my Blendtec, I've found that using it as a food processor, especially small batches, it's just too powerful and the pitcher is too large. So, it took some patience and plenty of scraping to keep the avocado flesh within reach of the spinning vortex of doom, er, the blades.

So, now that I had the sauce, it was time to cook something to pour it on!

I love poached eggs, and my great grandma Lillian used to wave her magic wand (a silver slotted spoon) and create the perfect textured, perfectly soft boiled, folded neatly poached eggs. I am not my GG Lillian (well, for many reasons - one of which is that I've never owned a monkey!). So, I use a modern convenience that allows me to have very good poached eggs out of the ... ... ... microwave. I know, it's sad. But, it's yummy and fast and better than eating powdered donuts or sugar cereal every morning, right?

So, I grabbed a couple of eggs, cracked them in my egg poacher, sprinkled on sea salt, pepper and a little paprika, and placed them in the magic box for 1:05. While that was cookin', I grabbed a plate, some spinach and 3 fresh strawberries.

And here it is!

First Bite:  Warm and gooey yolk mixed with the cool, creamy and a little zippy (remember the Tobasco!) of the sauce was a fantastic pairing! There was too much soft texture for me, though. I needed some crunch, so I went ahead and toasted some of my favorite organic and seedy bread. Toast really brought out the texture and subtle flavors between the slightly salty yolk and the tang of the lemon and dill and bite of the Tobasco against the sweet avocado. The pictures show my avocado almost over-ripe, but the flavor was perfect!

Second, third, and ... well, last bite:  10 out of 10, would make again!  Eggs are always satisfying, but this felt fancy without being a lot of work. Easily something I could mix up during the week. The lemon, dill and Tobasco weren't flavors that I'd ever put together, but I'm glad I did!

The book's TIP for this recipe is to make and use the same day for best flavor. The recipe also suggests that it's a great dressing or sauce for a green salad, fish, rice, a dipping sauce for veggies and to use in lieu of sandwich spread. So, it'll be interesting how it tastes and looks tomorrow!

One of the many reasons I wanted to spend some time writing and cooking with all of you is to practice more mindful eating. So often we let life get in the way of truly enjoying whole and wholesome foods, from eating them sitting down with utensils and conversation, and allow those foods to nourish more than our bodies.  Convenience foods, and scheduling tug-of-wars between work, activities, and errands, have all but ruined dinner time for many.  I'm excited to take the time to chop and mix, taste and savor, and eventually wield my own silver slotted magic wand. I'm a masterpiece in progress, and I'm excited to share that process with all of you!

If you'd like to find this recipe: Eat Drink Shine, Page 26
Makes about 1 Cup
Estimated cost to make:
If I had to purchase all items - 

• Avocado - $1.25
• Lemon - $.89
• Fresh Dill - $2.19 (but I didn't use very much!)
• Hot Sauce - $3.14
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil - around $5.00 (but can be MUCH more, depending on brand)
• Sea Salt - $5.99 

For a Grand Total of $18.46. But, let's face it, the only part of this recipe that is used completely is the avocado. I bet you'll find you have most of these items in your pantry and frig already. And if you do, stop what you're doing and make this hollandaise!!!

I hope you have a chance to enjoy this sauce, and look forward to hearing what you think!

Until next time, with a full tummy and a happy heart <3

jen