SUPERFOOD CHOCOLATE MOUSSE!

You'd never guess this gorgeous silky mousse is made from... avocados!! It's so nourishing and energising that you can have it for any meal of the day, even as a snack.

Superfood Chocolate Mousse!
makes: 2 servings

- 1 medium (or 2 small) ripe avocados 

- 1/4 cup raw cacao powder, or more to taste (use regular unsweetened cocoa powder if you don't have raw cacao)

- 5 dates, pitted and roughly chopped

- 1/4 cup orange juice (or water)

- 1 tsp. natural vanilla extract or pure vanilla bean powder (optional)

- A pinch of sea salt

- Honey or maple syrup (if required, to adjust sweetness)

Topping Ideas

Toasted coconut, shaved dark chocolate, fruits, nuts, granola, etc.

1. Soak the dates in the orange juice for 10-15 minutes to soften. In a blender, add the avocado flesh, dates, juice, salt, cacao powder, and vanilla if using. Blend until smooth. You will most likely need to scrape down the sides of the blender jar a few times. 
2. Taste and adjust cacao and sweetness to taste. Serve immediately with toppings of choice. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.

AVOCADO AND CARROT DIP

This dip comes together in a snap, and freezes really well, so it's a great way to use ripe avocados before they lose it! I'm not sure how I thought of adding carrots to my guacamole but I did, and loved it. So that's how I make it now... but technically it's not guacamole so I call it avocado and carrot dip instead. Regardless, it's totally delicious, refreshing, healthy, and tastes great no matter what you serve it with. I like it with tacos or a few different salsas and chips, or in warm tortillas like a taco, or with roasted vegetables. I very often use it in place of salad dressing - a large dollop of this dip is excellent on a salad.

Hope you all like it as much as I do!

Avocado and Carrot Dip

makes: 3 cups

- 3 ripe avocados

- 1 large carrot (or 2 small ones), cut into chunks

- 3 garlic cloves

- 1/2 white onion, cut into 3-4 large chunks

- 15-20 cilantro sprigs

- 2 serrano chiles, finely chopped

- 1 lime, juiced

- 1 tbsp. sea salt

- 1 roma tomato, finely chopped (optional)

1. In a food processor, process the carrot, garlic, onion, and cilantro to a medium dice.
2. Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and scoop out the flesh.
3. Add the avocado flesh, salt, lime juice, and serranos to the food processor with the other diced vegetables. Process to a chunky-ish consistency till the avocado is mixed in, but don't make a paste! Stir in the chopped tomatoes if using. Taste and adjust the salt and lime.
4. Transfer to a bowl and serve with tacos, chips, tortillas, crudités, crackers, or roasted vegetables. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 3-4 days, or freeze.

EGGS BAKED IN AVOCADO

There's almost never a day when I am not excited about breakfast! So, a friend sent me this sweet thing:

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"
"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"
"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.

Eggs Baked in Avocado

Servings: makes 1-2 servings

- 1 ripe avocado

- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp minced lemon basil or other fresh herbs of choice

- 1 tsp crushed red pepper or black pepper

- salt to taste

- 1/2 lime or lemon

Serve with:
Anything, really. Bread, tortillas, roasted potatoes, skinny fries, raw vegetables - radishes, carrots, zucchini, cucumbers...

1. Preheat oven/toaster oven to 450 F/230 C.
2. Mix the salt, pepper, and herbs. Set aside.

3. Cut each avocado in half and remove the pit.

4. Using a spoon, scrape out the center of each halved avocado so that it is large enough to accommodate an egg (about 1-1/2 tbsp).

5. Squeeze lime/lemon juice over the avocados and season with salt, then place on baking sheet. Line the baking sheet if you want, with a baking mat or foil to catch any egg white that spills over.

6. Divide the herb and salt mixture between the avocado holes.

7. Break an egg into the center of each avocado. It's quite alright if some of the white spills out - it will. But the yolk should remain intact.8. Bake in the oven until whites are set and yolk is runny, about 10 to 12 minutes.

9. Bake for longer if you like firmer yolks, but no more than 15 minutes otherwise the whites will become too tough and rubbery.

10. Or, after 10 minutes, turn off the oven and leave the avocados in for 5-7 more minutes.

11. Remove from oven and let the avocados cool for a couple of minutes before digging in!

Notes:

1. This works well with any herbs. Well, not lavender I suppose. But in the spring mint, dill, and fennel leaves are lovely, sage and rosemary are eternal fall/winter favourites, and tarragon, cilantro, and many varieties of basil, for example, are all over summer.

2. Don't overcook the eggs or you'll ruin this dish. Really.