If you love Chocolate Mousse, but feel guilty consuming loads of cream, you will love this less guilt-ridden version.  It isn’t low calorie, and avocados are high in fat, but they are not high in saturated fat. Instead providing a healthy dose of monounsaturated fat, which is considered ‘good ‘ fat.  Even if you eat more avocado than you should, you are still providing your body with health benefits.  Avocados also provide fiber and eating foods with fiber can help you to feel fuller and more satisfied. Weight loss experts generally recommend that dieters consume foods with fiber to help them eat less and create the calorie defecit needed for weight loss.  Avocados are also a good source of vitamin C, vitamin K and folate.   So although you need to be careful about how much avocado you eat if you are trying to diet, please know that just one eggcup of this chocolate mousse will be more than enough to curb chocolate and sugar cravings.  If there is one person that knows how hard it is to diet and eliminate sugar and fat from your diet, it’s me.  I have actually been on a diet for a month now, and although chocolate and avocados are not at all allowed, after one month of ‘behaving’, I needed a little something as a reward… SO, it’s sort of sinning….. but just not sinning a much as one could do!

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

• 2 large ripe avocados, halved & pitted
• 100g dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 heaped tablespoon dark cocoa
• 125ml macadamia or almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• fresh raspberries, blueberries or blackberries to serve

1. Melt the chocolate in a small glass bowl in a microwave oven or a ‘bain marie’.   Microwave chocolate in short 20 second bursts stirring occasionally until it has all melted.  Pay attention not to burn chocolate.
2. Use a food processor, and add avocados, melted dark chocolate, cocoa, milk and vanilla extract. Process until smooth.  If the mixture is too dense, add more milk until the chocolate mousse is the desired consistency, smooth and creamy.
3. Spoon into small serving cups (egg cups are ideal), and decorate with berries before serving.
4. Eat immediately or keep refrigerated until you are ready to eat it.

This is a great dessert to throw together last minute if you have a lot to cook for a dinner party, and you want to save time on dessert, yet create something that will impress.  Don’t tell anybody there is avocado in this mousse until they have finished and they are busy telling you how delicious your chocolate mousse was!

MOUSSE AL CIOCCOLATO e AVOCADO

• 2  grandi avocado, maturi
• 100g cioccolato fondente, tagliato in pezzi
• 1 cucchiaio abbondante di cacao amaro
• 125ml latte di madorle o latte di macadamia
• 1 cucchiaino di estratto di vaniglia
• lamponi, mirtilli o more per servire

1. Sciogliere il cioccolato in una ciotola di vetro nel forno a microonde o a bagnomaria.  Se utilizzate il forno a microonde, fate attenzione a non bruciare il cioccolato.
2. Usare un robot da cucina (o frullatore) e aggiungere l’avocado, il cioccolato sciolto, il cacao, il latte e l’estratto di vaniglia. 
3. Frullare tutto fino ad ottenere un composto liscio. Se la miscela è troppo densa, aggiungere più latte fino a quando la mousse di cioccolato è la consistenza desiderata, liscia e cremoso.
4. Riempire piccole tazzine con la mousse al cioccolato (i portauova sono l’ideale), e decorare con i lamponi, mirtilli o/e le more prima di servire.
5. Mangiare subito o conservare in frigorifero.