5-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse Pudding

The "secret" ingredient? Avocado!

No excuse to let any avocados go bad again - the riper, the better for this recipe. Kind of like how bananas are to banana bread, so are avocados to this mousse pudding. And there's no cooking involved - just blending - couldn't be easier.Deeply chocolate, rich and silky - minus the eggs, heavy cream or butter common to traditional mousse or pudding (you'll never miss them). But don't think this is some mediocre replacement just for vegans - trust me, this is going to more than satisfy ANY chocolate lover!Recipe: 5-Ingredient (Avocado) Chocolate Mousse PuddingWhat You Need (serves 2-3)

• 2 ripe avocados

• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp cocoa powder

• 1/2 cup coconut milk (I used vanilla, but any variety in a carton or the light kind in a can should work - same with any other non-dairy milk)

• 1/4 c agave syrup (honey also works)

• 1.5 tsp vanilla

What You Do

• Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor, and blend well until completely combined and smooth!

• Use a spatula to scoop the mousse into a single bowl for serving, or individual bowls or ramekins for personal servings.

• Eat right away, or refrigerate (ideal) for at least an hour. Best if eaten within two days... but good luck trying to make it last that long!

• For a little extra something, try any or all of the following: sprinkle dark chocolate shavings on top, add a dollop of whipped cream (like Soyatoo Rice Whip) or some fresh berries.

avocado chocolate mousse pudding vegan recipe 2

Marble Cake with Chocolate Frosting - 100% Vegan!

I've always had a particular affinity for baking cakes. I find it to be a particularly temperamental kind of baking because one "off" ingredient or measurement can potentially have such a major negative impact on the end product. So you have to expect some trial and error when trying to formulate an original concoction, rather than following another recipe verbatim. I like the added challenge though - it makes the final product that much more satisfying - and I also just love baking cakes for people I care about! Probably above all for my fiance :)

veganmarblecake

I'm happy to say after some trial and error and a few revisions, I wound up with a finished product this time that we loved - I lucked out with this one!As far as "traditional" cake (think birthday cake) goes, I've always favored marble - what's not to love? You get the best of both worlds with the chocolate and yellow cake. So I was thrilled to discover a while back that Peter had the same affinity, and was excited to bake this from scratch for his birthday.Then I decided to take it a step further and make it vegan. Replacing dairy in cakes isn't usually terribly tricky, with various vegan butter-substitutes or oils often working just fine as a butter substitute, or non-dairy milks or tofu products replacing regular milk/sour cream/yogurt... the real challenge comes down to eggs. Flax or chia "eggs" often work well in cookies and muffins, and Ener-G is also a new-to-me option I like, but regardless it can be a little tougher to replace real eggs as a binding agent when it comes to cakes that are to be a bit delicate and/or fluffy.After some research, I found another option I'd never tried before, but gave it a go this time!Maybe this is old news to you, but it turns out that baking soda and vinegar can replace eggs in baking. 1 tablespoon of vinegar + 1 teaspoon of vinegar equal 1 egg. For this cake, I used both white and apple cider vinegars. It is not recommended to use this substitution for more than 2 eggs per recipe though, and also, it's important to mix the baking soda with your dry ingredients and the vinegar with the wet before combining dry & wet. Don't mix the baking soda and vinegar together in their own dish... anyone remember the volcano science projects in elementary school?!I crossed my fingers when my two batter-filled springform pans went in the oven and hoped my lack of real eggs, overall ingredient combination and high altitude wouldn't add up to disaster.But luckily, as I said, this 2 layer cake turned out to be delicious - very moist, a great balance between light and substantial in terms of density, and wonderfully flavorful. And the homemade vegan chocolate frosting brought everything together nicely. It was the gift that kept on giving - it lasted us one week from first bite to last, but you can bet we did manage to finish it all :) (oink!)Recipe... well...I don't typically do this, but I am not posting this recipe online just yet... but if you are a marble cake lover as I am - and especially if y0u want to wow someone special - leave a comment below or email me and maybe I will share :)

Wheatgrass, Smoothies, Beer & Onion Rings in Scottsdale

Does this: and this:cancel out this??:I'll answer that myself with a begrudging "no" :) But that's okay! I believe when you eat a clean diet of whole foods - especially plant-based - at least 90% of the time, it gives you a little wiggle room to indulge in some things that offer no health benefit whatsoever. Though maybe that's not entirely true... they aren't called "comfort" foods for nothing! And as long as that concept of a "comfort" food isn't abused, I believe there is truth in it. I also think that as your body becomes more and more used to eating clean, whole foods, you crave the bad stuff much less if at all.But - a little indulgence of something that just tastes good is good for the spirit once in a while too!To be fair though, I guess I can't exactly call this a "little" indulgence... maybe "little" on the scheme of things (and it was meat and dairy-free), but as evidenced in the photo this was a pretty large plate of huge onion rings! Too big to fully finish, unfortunately (or fortunately?).Let me backtrack for a second though to give some context. Peter and I are in the Phoenix area for the weekend, and conveniently there is a nice outdoor shopping center with a couple of decent food options across the street from our hotel in Scottsdale.The first two photos above were from Jamba Juice, which is always a welcome sight when traveling. As long as you stay away from the added-sugar-laden smoothies, you have many good options to choose from. We stopped in for a late lunch of sorts, starting with shots of wheatgrass - a wonderful detoxifier - and then shared two smoothies. We went for an Apples & Greens (now a new favorite) and an Acai Super-Antioxidant (minus the sherbert), both with an extra boost of soy protein. Refreshing and anti-oxidant-boosting on a warm and sunny Arizona afternoon!For dinner last night, we went to Nimbus Bistro & Brewery, which is conveniently right across the street from our hotel. We enjoyed decent veggie burgers, but started with a pint of the Old Monkeyshine Ale and Oatmeal Stout and the onion rings. Our mutual criticism is that a few of them were too heavily battered - to the point of doughiness - but they were all around pretty tasty. They inspired me to start thinking of how I could make a "lesser of two evils" - maybe even borderline "healthy" (or at least not unhealthy) version at home... so stay tuned for that in the next couple of weeks! 

"25 Foods You'll Never Eat Again" (via Buzzfeed)

Check out "25 Foods You'll Never Eat Again" (via Buzzfeed) - a list of 25 uber-junk foods that are no longer on store shelves... and, pretty much across the board, for good reason that needs no added explanation.It's worth the read for the nostalgia factor. I'd forgotten about many of these products... from wtf-was-Heinz-thinking purple ketchup to Orbitz soda (looked awesome, tasted terrible). I'll admit though, my sweet tooth and I wouldn't mind seeing crispy m&ms reappear... hey, the UK still has them!