Chocolate-Cherry-Avocado Mousse
This is one of the recipes that I am most proud of. Not because it’s the best, although it might be, but because I really and truly have spent years toying with different variations of it to get it just right, and I’m fully confident in this version, finally. I have it at least once a week for breakfast, although you could easily make it work for a snack or dessert.
Pro tip: Put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes before you eat it for a nice, almost-ice cream experience.
I love that it’s rich in healthy fats and Omega-3 from the avocado and chia seeds, antioxidants from the cherries, and flavonoids from the cacao powder (chocolate is my favorite superfood). It also packs a punch of potassium from the banana, and beautiful, natural fiber and bone-building benefits from the dates. This is a great thing to add to your diet if you are someone who has cravings for chocolate or ice cream (me!). You can meet those cravings by satisfying them in a healthy way first thing in the morning, and you won’t feel the need to go for the processed versions later on. Trust me, I had to learn this the hard way, but now I have chocolate every day, and by meeting and greeting and welcoming what used to be “cravings” as a part of my regular diet, I no longer feel the need to overeat or restrict. Ah, freedom.
Literally everyone I have ever made this smoothie/mousse for has been blown away by it, but I encourage you to make it a couple of times before serving it to guests. You definitely need a really powerful blender, and you’ll have to get to know your blender well to see what works best in terms of speed and power. I use a Vitamix, and my instructions are below. I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Ingredients
1/2 of a big avocado, or 1 small one
1 frozen banana, chopped
2 cups. frozen cherries
2 heaping tbsp. cacao powder
2 tbsp.white chia seeds
1 Medjool date, pitted and chopped (or broken into a few pieces)
1/3 cup almond or coconut milk
Cinnamon - dash
Pink salt to taste (2 turns on a salt grinder or 1/2 tsp.)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Maple syrup or stevia to taste - I do a few drops of stevia
Instructions
Put all ingredients in the blender on low for 5 minutes, using the tamper as needed. You want to get some of the frozen items to relax a bit.
Slowly increase the speed every minute or so, incrementally, until you are at maximum speed/power. Once you hit max, stay there for about 45 seconds and let it all run smoothly. This would be “high” on a Vitamix. You will end up blending for a total of almost 10 minutes. I know this seems like a lot, but it's worth it.
Once blended, pour into ramekins and let set in the fridge for at least 20 minutes and up to 24 hours.
Top with chopped pecans and cacao nibs, shredded coconut, nut butter, or whatever you like! I always do either pecans or pistachios and cacao nibs.
