Silken Tofu Chocolate Mousse

I LOVE this recipe! Why not get those soy isoflavones and protein in your dessert? Plus this has very little sugar and is totally elegant when served in martini glasses or kooky tumblers.

ingredients:

- 270 g of silken tofu (3/4 nasoya packet – save the rest for a smoothie, or increase everything a bit and make more mousse!)

- 120 g bittersweet chocolate, broken (I used an 85% lindt bar – 100g and made up the rest with 60% ghirardelli chips if you are cautious, or throw caution to the winds and make up the rest with 100% unsweetened - my fave.)

1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 C water

1 T almond/soy/rice/cow milk (opt. I didn’t have it once and it didn’t make a difference to me.)

1T honey (they called for 1/2 c, but I didn’t want it that sweet)

1-2 T Cointreau/other liqueur, or 1 Tsp orange zest

instructions:

- melt chocolate, cocoa, water, milk, liqueur together in a bowl over simmer water. It will seize a bit.  Don’t worry, just make sure it’s all melted and smooshed together.

- blend the tofu in a blender until smooth and creamy, add melted chocolate mixture, keep blending (I used a hand blender – worked well) and add honey or another sweetener to taste. (remember, white sugar is bleached, and not consistent with our goal of long term happiness)

- either put in a big bowl or divide into little ones, chill in fridge for a couple of hours, then serve alone or with garnishes: mint springs, choc-covered coffee beans, raspberries, slices of orange, banana, clementine, toasted nuts, …get crazy and creative!!!

No-cook Oatmeal Bites

1/2 C raw rolled oats (can be pulsed in a food processor if you want it smoother)

2 T of nut butter of your choice, you could also use coconut oil

2 T of chopped nuts

2 T of dried fruit

2 T chocolate chips (or 1 T of unsweetened cocoa)

Put it all in a bowl and mix it up with a fork to combine. Cool in the fridge and make little balls. Mix and match to create your own combination! I sometimes just eat it with a spoon.

Chocolate Valentine Cake

Chickpeas? Relax. It’s delicious. Using legumes instead of flour adds fiber and protein and reduces unhealthful spikes in blood sugar

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups (19 ounce can) cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
4 eggs, or 1 cup egg substitute (I used the equivalent of 2 eggs – it still worked, but was more dense)
1/2 C sweetener – sucanat, honey, maple syrup. Not white sugar – it’s bleached. Nor brown sugar, which is white sugar with molasses mixed into it to make it brown.
1/2 tsp. baking powder

melt chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. In blender or food processor, combine beans and eggs. Add sugar, baking powder and chocolate; process until smooth. Pour batter into non-stick 9-inch heart-shaped or round cake pan (I used a spring-form pan with a piece of parchment paper at the bottom). Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool.

Spread with jam – raspberry is great, marmalade would work well too.

Experiment with less sweetener and add interesting spices like 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, a 1/2 teaspoon of lavender flowers, or a drop or two of lavendar essential oil if you don’t want the flowers in the mix. You could decorate the top of the cake with a scattering or spray of lavender flowers.