Avocado Chocolate Mousse

Yum yum...Chocolate Mousse . Well while i am thinking that, I am also thinking about all that goes into the mousse when it is store bought. i am a big fan of Natural Ingredients and hence tried this with Avocado and now this is a regular dessert for my guests at dinner and they love it. Of Course you have to be a avocado fan for you to like this ,but then whose not!!

Don't worry too much about the proportions here, taste along as you go. Just pull out that blender and have some fun :)

You will need :
1. one ripe Avocado.(the avocado has to be perfectly ripe and of a good quality or else don't make it)
2. two spoons of organic honey or whatever honey you have at home
3. one spoonful of unsweetened Coco powder. (or more if you like it a bit chocolatey and slightly bitter)
4. two tablespoons milk** (for a creamier version see bottom)
5. a dash of vanilla essence (optional)
5. a blender


Step one :
Peel and slice the avocado directly into the blender/mixer.

Look at the beautiful green colour

Step two :

Add the honey and the coco powder and couple of drops of vanilla essence(optional) whisk away.

Step three :
This is how it looks at this stage .


Step four :
Add milk and blend. now it is time to taste and decide if you need to add more honey if you like it sweet or/and more coco it you want more chocolaty ,a bit of milk if it is too thick for your taste.
and Viola!!

Refrigerate for few hours or overnight. Remember it thickens after this so keep the consistency accordingly. On mornings when i am lazy to make breakfast,  a big bowl feels like a treat to start my day with. Other days it makes the perfect light dinner substitute when i have had a heavy lunch and don't want to have soups or salads.

**To make it extra creamy
Use condensed milk (milkmaid) if making for guests or when you don't want to bother about the calories. adjust the honey accordingly as we don't want it to turn out too sweet.

Jaggery Granola Bars

I had picked up a pack of sugar free Muesli ,beautiful roasted , but couldn't enjoy it with milk as much as i thought i would. It had been waiting in my pantry for some attention since a while .

Decided to experiment with it, into making Granola bars and sharing the beautiful result here 

For this recipe you will need 

1. Unsweetened Muesli with nuts , if it doesn't have nuts add whatever you have on hand. i like Brazil nuts, Macadamia and Sultanas in my bars 

2. Jaggery 

3. A high edged plate for setting and cutting the bars (i used a small baking tray)

4. thick bottomed vessel  

The reason i have not given proportions here is because you have to melt the jaggery and mix the muesli till you it completely coated as below 

Step one :

lets melt the jaggery 

Step two :

Slowly keep adding the Muesli till you think it is coated with Jaggery completely. if the Muesli is less it is ok, it just comes out a bit sweet. but don't add it more as we you won't be able to make a bar out if it.

Step three:

Transfer onto a greased plate or pan and tighten it together  towards the edge ,with the help of a spoon or your hand( take care it is very hot at this stage ). now cut them into bars of your choice of size.

Step four :

Invert the tray on to a plate. now the bars are not so hot. i generally pick them up individually to tighten or/and shape. And Viola !!

Alternate to Muesli:

if you chose to make this recipe without  Muesli , just mix roasted oats (easily found at stores), raisins, any nuts you like  (walnuts ,cashews, almonds, pistachios ....) and then add to the jaggery.

I find these bars very useful as a snack ,either as a mid day meal or an evening snack. I wrap them in an aluminium foil and carry them in my purse on a busy day when i anticipate missing a meal. 2 bars can keep you full for several hours and provide a good alternative to biscuits, chocolates and any other form of junk. 

Please feel free to comment and suggest. Happy Snacking!!