The Best Healthy (ish) Chocolate Mousse

My website provider just added a blog to the system so I am excited to have my blog here now, instead of separately at Blogspot (gdngrl.blogspot.com). I will try to re-post some of my most popular posts to this blog, so I can have everything in one place. That does mean you may see some "oldies but goodies" popping up here!

But one thing I realized as I looked back at my old blog, is that I definitely post a lot of recipes! And for some reason those posts are more popular than the "newsy" posts (which I will continue to post here but also post more frequently to my Facebook and Twitter accounts). So I figured what better way to start off this new blog than by posting another recipe! 

This one is in honor of Valentine's Day and my husband. My husband is not a huge sweets eater but he LOVES chocolate mousse. One Valentine's Day (pre-kids when we had time to do things like this...) we went shopping and bought the ingredients to make chocolate mousse. My husband is not a baker but he recognizes high-fat, high-calorie ingredients when he sees them. He had no idea how ridiculously unhealthy chocolate mousse is! Now, I'm all for treats (daily!) in moderation. But if there is a way to make something taste good and have it be healthier than the real thing then bring it on!

So fast-forward to a few years ago. My sister served us chocolate mousse. We loved it! She was grinning and eager to share the secret ingredient - after we ate it, of course. It was TOFU! Seriously, I was shocked. I actually like tofu but I figured in a dessert I would notice it. But I didn't! I won't say this tastes exactly like the "real thing" but it is pretty darn delicious. I will also not claim that this is "healthy" because there are still a lot of calories. But it is for sure a significant improvement and takes away much of the guilt.

And you know what? It's so easy to put together, you can do it TONIGHT! Surprise someone you love with this treat for Valentine's Day. But don't tell the secret until they have showered you with compliments about how good it is :)

Here is a photo of what it looks like. My confession is that since I haven't made it yet for tonight, I don't have my own photos so I am borrowing one from on of my favorite blogs, Chocolate Covered Katie. Her recipe is very similar to the one I have below, and it is the "standard" general recipe you can find on the internet, although there are many verisons.

(photo credit: Chocolate Covered Katie)

Chocolate Mousse with a Secret (adapted from many versions to make it my own)

Serves - 2 to 4 (obviously in my house it would be 2...)

• 6 oz. Silken Tofu, drained
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (for a sweeter version you could use milk chocolate, for a darker version use bittersweet chocolate)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon Kahlua or other coffee-flavored liquor (optional)
• 1 tablespoon milk (or milk-alternative)
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar (or other sweetener)
• Whipped cream (optional)
• Strawberries or other berries for garnish (optional)

In a microwave-safe glass bowl, melt the chocolate (do in 30 second increments and stir after each to avoid it over-cooking and getting crumbly). Once it has melted, add the sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved (you can heat another 30 seconds if necessary.

Scrape the chocolate into the bowl of a food processor or a blender (ooo another use for my Vitamix!) and dump in the rest of the ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Put into serving dishes and chill for about 30 minutes. Top with whipped cream and berries or shaved chocolate before serving.

Seriously - so good! I can't wait to make it!