My Love For Chocolate
I have to confess that I ate a lot of chocolate when I was growing up and especially in my younger years. When I was a child my parents owned a corner shop in the UK, now known as a convenience store. But it was also more like an old-fashioned lolly-pop shop with jars of traditional sweets behind the counter, which my Dad would weigh out for people every day.
But it wasn’t this that fascinated me. It was all the chocolate on offer! And I had access to it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I was a big Cadbury’s chocolate fan and would squeal with excitement when I was allowed to decide what we would stock in the shop. As a young girl I would visit the cash and carry with my parents to help them do the shopping.
You couldn’t buy single things here. You had to buy them in bulk, so chocolate always came in big boxes!! And of course, I had to try everything first…. for research purposes of course, to make sure that the customers would be happy!
After my parents sold that business, they bought a bed and breakfast and the bonus was that we still had access to cash and carry! So even though we didn’t own a shop, we would still buy chocolate in bulk.
I went to boarding school between the ages of 13-17 and I would always have a big ‘tuck box’ full of chocolate and chocolate cakes and goodies at the start of every term. Luckily for me I have always had a fast metabolism!
When my parents owned the bed and breakfast, there was always a lot of ‘good food’ around! My Mum did all the cooking and baking and my love of the kitchen has definitely been passed on from my Mum. But we didn’t worry so much about health in those days. There weren’t all the different diets and fads that there are now. It almost seemed simpler!
But as I left home, I forged my own path and experimented with different ways of eating (which ironically didn’t include so much chocolate even though I still loved it). Even at University, my Mum bought be a slow cooker to make sure that I ‘ate properly’!
In 2013 I became sick and was finally diagnosed with post viral chronic fatigue. I took a long hard look at my diet and lifestyle and decided everything needed an overhaul. I dropped my processed foods and increased dramatically the amount of fruit and veg that I ate.
Despite working in the health industry for the last 15 years, I wasn’t working towards prevention. So even though I already had two science degrees from the University of London, I re-trained as a nutrition and wellness coach, which would allow me to look at people’s overall health and help them from a holistic perspective.
One of the first changes I made to the way I ate was to drop dairy. Up until this point, numerous doctors thought that I had asthma due to the breathing issues I experienced when I got sick. But in the end it wasn’t asthma; it was related to my chronic fatigue.
When I stopped consuming dairy I noticed a big improvement with my health. And when my client’s reduce or stop their dairy intake, they too notice a big improvement. In fact, I think it is one of the best things that you can do overall for your health. Do I miss my (milk) chocolate? No! Even I was surprised but I became more inventive in the kitchen. I learnt how to make things taste rich and creamy without using dairy.
In fact I am often asked if I have added dairy to my dishes because people can’t believe the taste! And that’s why I love my dairy free creamy chocolate mousse. You can’t even tell that it has no dairy in it! In fact I’d even go so far as to say it’s a healthy desert.
The avocados provide good fats, Vitamins C, E, K, B6, B9 as well as the minerals potassium, copper, magnesium, manganese and zinc. Avocados are great for heart health, bone health, eye health, brain health and digestion! How amazing is this food! The combination of sunflower butter and coconut milk give it a really creamy taste. And of course, let’s not forget the goddess of chocolate: Cacao.
Cacao is the purest form of chocolate as it is raw and has minimal processing. Cacao is full of anti-oxidants and minerals such as magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese. Not only does cacao have all these health benefits but it is also a mood enhancer and an aphrodisiac, creating a sense of euphoria!
So now you can have chocolate, full of nutrients AND feel good too! So tuck into that chocolate mousse and don’t feel guilty!
Enjoy….
Now let me share my recipe with you all…
Ingredients: Quantity:
Large Avocados 2
Cut In Half With Middle Scooped Out
Cacao 3 Tbsp
Sweetener 2-3 Tbsp
(Rice Malt Syrup, Maple Syrup Or Honey)
Cacao Nibs (Plus Extra For Topping) 1-2 Tbsp
Sunflower Butter 2 Tbsp
Vanilla Extract 2 Tsp
Coconut Milk 1/4 Cup
Method
Add all ingredients to food processor or blender and mix until smooth and all ingredients are combined.
Scoop into serving dishes and top with cacao and shredded coconut.
Optional: Chill for a few hours in the fridge before serving.
Notes
Optional: Add 2-3 drops food grade essential oils such as wild orange or peppermint to flavour the mousse. I only use and recommend doTERRA essential oils.
This recipe and many other exciting dishes from around the world can be found in the cook book “Recipes That Make You Go Mmm…” If you’d like to pick up your copy – Please Click Here
The front cover of Recipes That Make You Go Mmm… Has been designed by Marnie Higgs – “The Female Cornucopia” (www.marniehiggs.com)