Carrie Allen – Chocolate Avocado Mousse with Cinnamon Vanilla Cashew Cream
Eating healthy and serving healthy food to my kids is critically important to me. Yet we all crave sweets from time to time so having recipes made from wholesome ingredients that actually benefit our bodies fills me with joy. My friend Mia gave me Alissa Cohen’s Raw Food for Everyone Cookbook one year for Christmas. It was here that I first stumbled upon chocolate pudding made from avocados. I have adapted the recipe over the years to whatever I have on hand but the main ingredients are simple: avocados, dates (or agave syrup, honey or maple syrup – whatever you have!), plus cacao (or cocoa powder).
Last night I had to be on a work conference call (it’s hard to coordinate meetings with Tokyo) so I asked my 12 year old daughter to make pasta for dinner for her and her brother – you do what you need to do to balance work and life. I set two avocados next to all the ingredients, thinking they would also have avocados with balsamic vinegar on top, a favorite of ours.
When I came down they were eating their pasta but the avocados were untouched. I asked why they were not eating them and my son, who is 11, said “we thought you could make chocolate pudding with them instead.” What a great idea! I topped the avocado chocolate mousse (more of a mousse this time than a pudding) with cashew cream, which balances the deep rich chocolate flavor with a lighter creamy taste.
The recipe is super simple. Here is what I made last night:
Chocolate Avocado Mousse
2 ripe avocados
1/4 cup organic, raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
1/4 cup coconut milk
4 dates, soaked in hot water for a few minutes
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash of cinnamon
Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth and spoon into bowls. You can put it in the refrigerator to chill for 10-30 minutes. The pudding will develop a skin over top, just like pudding, if it sits for a while. Spoon cashew cream on top before serving.
Cinnamon Vanilla Cashew Cream
1 cup raw unsalted cashews soaked in water for 1-2 hours
1/2 cup water, plus more for a thinner cream
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Put all ingredients into a high speed mixer (I use a vitamix) and blend until smooth. Add more water, sweetener and cinnamon according to taste. This will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.
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