chocolate-pots-de-creme600x900This is what I eat every morning. Chocolate for breakfast? Absolute mon! Actually, it’s more of a chocolate pot’o creme than a mousse but no need to split semantical hairs here. Bottom line, it’s delish! And good for you, too. Loaded with antioxidants, chocolate combats the effect of subversive free radicals. It also contains phenethylamine, which releases neurochemicals like serotonin, touted as the happy hormone. I don’t know about everyone else, but I want all the “happy hormones” I can get first thing in the morning. Unlike coffee, which made me feel edgy and jittery by mid-morning, that sense of well-being from cacao stays with me all day without interfering with my sleep pattern. But I don’t recommend having a cup of it late at night because it will keep you awake.

But chocolate’s fattening, right?

Not in this format. It may taste decadently rich and creamy, but there’s a twist. Tofu. Yes, you read that right, tofu; the other white protein. Packed with phytonutrients, and isoflavones, protein, and calcium. What gives it its buttery mouthfeel is avocado—another nutrient-rich ingredient. Now you’re really scratching your head. “Tofu, avocado, and chocolate in the same sentence…?” I realize it seems counter-intuitive to combine those ingredients, but you don’t taste the avocado, it disappears under the dense chocolate flavor of the cacao powder, and tofu doesn’t have a flavor profile; it absorbs whatever you add to it. Super easy to make in the blender or a Cuisinart food processor. So go ahead, whip up a batch, and rev-up your “happy hormones!”

Recipe notes Prep time: 15-minutes. Yields 5-4oz servings. Nutrients vales based per serving

Chocolate Fu

Ingredients:

  • 1-14oz pkg organic silken tofu (be sure it’s “organic” and silken; it provides the creamiest texture.
  • 1-small avocado unbruised
  • 1 -cup organic cacao powder
  • 1/2-cup Stevia in the Raw
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1-tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2-tsp cinnamon
  • pinch cayenne
  • pinch Himalayan salt
  • 3-oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Preparation:

avatofu-choco

  1. Place tofu in Cuisinart food processor and blend to a creamy consistency.
  2. Add avocado and blend till smooth and thoroughly combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
  3. Add cacao powder, sweetener, vanilla, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt.
  4. Blend for a couple of minutes so that the cacao powder is fully incorporated.
  5. Taste test for sweetness, adding additional sweetener if needed.
  6. Melt semi-sweet chocolate in the microwave for 20-seconds.
  7. Pour melted chocolate into the mixture and pulse 2-3 times
  8. Spoon mousse into a container, cover, and refrigerate.