Christmas just isn’t the same without “chocolate”, right? To keep up the tradition of goodwill and in the spirit of giving that characterises this time of year, here is my healthy and guilt-free dessert recipe. As I have mentioned before, I do not believe that a life without treats is the way to go. However, I do advocate healthy treats whenever possible. This recipe, which is featured in my book Anna’s Kitchen (available through the downloads section) is one of my favourite desserts. It takes only a few minutes to put together with no cooking involved, it tastes amazing and it is 100% healthy! Plus it is so easy that anyone can make it, unlike the traditional chocolate mousse recipe.
You can enjoy this for breakfast, as a dessert or even as a mid-afternoon snack. Even though it contains none of the bad ingredients, you won’t taste the difference. If you don’t tell your guests, they will probably not even notice. The fact that both cacao (in its pure, unsweetened, raw form) and avocados help to speed up your metabolism is an added bonus. How many desserts can claim to be good for you?
Just make sure you are using ripe avocados and bananas, and you get the balance of coconut milk to fruit right so that you obtain the right consistency for it to set. If you really cannot live with the bitter taste, you can add more sweetness by adding one to two pitted dates. They provide the sugar (and hence lots of calories) but they are metabolised differently to regular refined sugar, and they also contain a myriad of other good nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, Vitamin B6 and dietary fibre.
Raw Cacao Avocado Mousse Recipe
Ingredients (2 people)
1 ripe avocado
½ very ripe banana
1-2 dates (optional)
3-4 tbsp raw cacao powder
2-3 tbsp coconut milk (without sugar)
or almond milk or other non-diary milk of your choice
a few fresh cherries, raspberries or blueberries (to garnish)
a few hazelnuts or flaked almonds (to garnish)
Method
1. Cut the banana into small parts and place in the same bowl or container where you will be blending the ingredients together.
2. Add the avocado, also cut into small parts.
3. I like the strong bitter taste of cacao so I add as many as 4 tablespoons of raw cacao powder, but you can add 2 to 3 according to taste.
4.Add enough sugar free coconut milk or, if you prefer the taste of almond milk, 2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar free almond milk depending on how thick you want your mousse to be.
5. Blend all the ingredients with a handheld blender until you obtain a smooth, lump free texture.
6. Scoop into individual sized serving bowls and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours until set. The final consistency will depend on how much coconut milk you added.
7. Serve garnished with fresh cherries, raspberries or blueberries and a few hazelnuts or flaked almonds.
I use berries to add colour and because they are low G.I. but you can use whatever fruit you like or whatever is available. Try experimenting with kumquats, grapes or even pomegranate.
Enjoy!!
