Chocolate Mousse

A couple years ago, I gave up dairy. Several different factors prompted this decision, but the catalyst was getting my cholesterol checked for the first time and being told by my doctor in my mid-twenties that I had high cholesterol and needed to go on a diet (you can read more about that here). After I was off dairy for a while, I couldn't believe how good I felt, so that made staying dairy-free a no-brainer.

Of course I cheat every now and then, but when I'm cooking at home I don't use dairy products. There are a few foods I definitely miss, and desserts made with heavy cream, like chocolate mousse, typically top that list. Yesterday I found a recipe for non-dairy chocolate mousse with a secret ingredient that really took me by surprise.

Chocolate-Avocado Mousse
by Giada De Laurentiis
Makes 4 3/4 cup servings

Ingredients:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli brand in the gold wrapper is dairy-free)
4 very ripe (8 oz.) avocados, peeled and pitted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup agave
1 T pure vanilla extract (I left this out and it was just fine)
1/4 t salt

Directions:
Melt the chocolate chips. Place the melted chocolate, avocados, cocoa powder, agave, vanilla, and salt in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Spoon (I used a piping bag) into cups and refrigerate for a couple hours, or up to 1 day.

Avocados! Who would have thought? When I first blended up all the ingredients and tasted to measure the sweetness, I was disappointed because there was a definite avocado taste. I put the mousse in the refrigerator for a couple hours then tried it again, and it was heaven. Thick, creamy, with a deep chocolate flavor and no hint of avocado whatsoever. The mousse was even more delicious sprinkled with chopped pistachios and pomegranate seeds.

Even David, who is very picky about non-traditional ingredients, thought this was really good and he couldn't detect the avocado at all. I suspect if I didn't tell him about the secret ingredient in the first place he would have thought I used heavy cream!

I really can't say enough how pleased I was with this non-dairy chocolate mousse recipe. Even if you consume dairy, you should give it a try. Avocados are great for your body, inside and out, and make for a delicious ingredient in this chocolate mousse.

~Tammy

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