Community Corner – Avochoco!

By Zen Yogini Kyra

As odd as it sounds, avocado chocolate mousse – or avochoco as I’ve lovingly nicknamed it – is glorious! And super healthy. Interesting tidbit: the botanical name for the cacao tree is theobroma cacao – which means “food of the gods” in Greek. There’s so much research about the amazing health benefits of both cacao and avocado, so why not combine these beauties into a dessert worthy of the gods?!

Note: nearly everything here, in terms of ingredients or amounts, is variable depending on your tastes.

Ingredients:

• About 75-100 grams (1/4 to 1/3 of a cup) honey, depending on your sweet tooth (OR: 4 fresh pitted dates soaked in water / or brown rice syrup / or maple syrup / or stevia)
• 2 ripe avocados (the flesh should be soft enough that it crushes with a light touch)
• Approx 100 grams (1/3 cup) raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
• 1 ripe banana (fresh or frozen and chopped)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pods from 1 fresh vanilla bean (definitely optional – if you don’t have it, don’t worry)
• Pinch of sea salt and/or cinnamon to enhance flavor

Combine all ingredients in a blender in the following order: gooey things (honey/maple syrup etc) on the bottom, avocado, banana, vanilla and only add cocoa at the top as the last ingredient. It mixes much better this way.
Blend for about 30 seconds until smooth and creamy.
Add a splash of rice milk, coconut milk, or almond milk if you want to lighten up the texture a bit.
Let chill in the fridge for a bit. Serve with fresh fruit if you wish.

Enjoy and eat quickly – it won’t last more than a day!