Layered Chocolate and Peanut Butter Mousse with Bourbon

My poor husband has been waiting for this mousse for months. I thought of the idea at least 3 months ago, told him about it and then never made it until today. This is a variation of my chocolate mousse with espresso, which is one of his favorites. Well, he also loves chocolate and peanut butter cups (which I don't make often) so I thought that he would like the flavor combination in mousse form. Needless to say, he loves it.

This dessert is very easy to make. The portions are intentionally small because the mousse is so rich and decadent tasting. I don’t like to have much at once and my husband can always eat two, so this small portion works well at our house. I have made the chocolate mousse for many people (never vegan) and everyone has loved it.

I included bourbon in this recipe since I knew it would work well with the peanut butter, and it is an amazing flavor combination. You can omit the bourbon if you wish, but it does add to the flavor and more importantly to the aroma, and only amounts to ¼ tablespoon per serving.

Layered Chocolate and Peanut Butter Mousse with Bourbon
Serves 4

Ingredients:

12.3 ounces of low fat silken tofu, firm
6 tablespoons of agave
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of Bourbon (used Woodford Reserve)
2 tablespoon of natural organic peanut butter
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
4 tablespoons of dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Place the tofu, agave, vanilla extract and bourbon your food process and blend completely.

Remove ½ of the tofu mixture to be made chocolate shortly.

Add the peanut butter to the food processor and blend completely.

Put the peanut butter mousse in the bottom of 4 cups. Scrape the processor bowl well or wash it and return it to the machine with the reserved tofu mixture.

Add the cocoa powder to the food processor. Melt the chips in the microwave on 30% power until soft (I needed 3 minutes). Scrape the soft chocolate into the food processor and thoroughly blend.

Top the peanut butter mousse with the chocolate mousse. Cover the top of the cups with plastic cling film and refrigerate until firm (about 2 hours). Enjoy cold.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 190.82
Calories From Fat (45%) - 85.99

Total Fat - 10.36g
Saturated Fat - 3.47g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 135.81mg
Potassium - 215.38mg
Total Carbohydrates - 16.62g
Fiber - 4.32g
Sugar - 2.43g
Protein - 9.66g

Comments:

This recipe has a little more fat than I would like, but much of it comes from the natural peanut butter so I don’t think it can be that bad for our health.

Chocolate, peanut butter and bourbon are a flavor match made in heaven. The chocolate layer is a little thick, the peanut layer softer, and together they are magical. If you want you can add some chopped peanuts or mini chocolate chips to either layer. I would put peanuts in the chocolate and chocolate in the peanut butter.

Mocha Frappaccino

At 10 am the heat index was 94 degrees here on the east coast. The weather is normally unpleasant during the end of August but today is worse than normal. While I haven’t ventured out of the air conditioning yet I decided iced coffee was in order this morning. My husband isn’t crazy about iced coffee but he likes it when I put it in the blender. What is the difference you ask, heck if I know? I suppose it is a texture issue with him but I am not really certain.

I have been making frappaccinos at home for over a decade. When I first starting making them I used skim milk and artificial sweeteners. Back then the stevia powder was green so I didn’t use it often since it caused the food to have a crazy unpleasant look. Looking back I realize how much what we eat has changed in a decade. I often wonder how much what we ate impacted the DNA mutations and resulting cancer. While I will probably never know the answer to that question I can at least make decisions today with the available information I have now.

If you like coffee and cocoa give this drink a try. It is easy and everyone that has tried it has liked it.

Mocha Frappaccino
Serves 2

Ingredients:

¾ cups of coffee or espresso, preferably cold
1 ¼ cups of almond milk, unsweetened
1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
2 scoops of stevia, or to taste
2 cups of ice cubes

Directions:

Put everything into your blender and process until it is completely smooth. Serve immediately in chilled glasses.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 32.07
Calories From Fat (58%) - 18.44

Total Fat - 2.26g
Saturated Fat - 0.22g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 103.2mg
Potassium - 205.82mg
Total Carbohydrates - 3.72g
Fiber - 1.52g
Sugar - 0.05g
Protein - 1.26g

Comments:

If you want to enjoy a mocha frappaccino without guilt this is your drink. It is cold, creamy and satisfying. This drink tastes mostly of espresso with a subtle chocolate in the background. I used two scoops of stevia and this drink was more than sweet enough for me. My husband (Mr. Sweet tooth) thought it could be sweeter, but he says that about everything. I think this is the perfect drink when the weather is hot but you want coffee.

If you want to give this a little Mexican flavor add a touch of ground cinnamon, which also works well. I have been known to add coffee or hazelnut liquor if we are having this in the evening. The options for variations are many.

Healthy Date and Walnut Truffles

My husband and I have been losing weight a little faster than I think is healthy. This is why you saw the high calorie smoothie yesterday and why I worked on this recipe today. These “candies” are my modification of a recipe I saw in Martina Navratilova’s book “Shape Yourself”.

These little balls of goodness are quite sweet (at least for my taste) due to the dates and agave. My husband (mister sweet tooth) thinks the sweet level is just right. I like the date flavor and the hint of cinnamon and ginger in the background.

These balls have a softer texture out of the refrigerator than I anticipated. I mention this specifically for my friend Reiko who may be considering taking these with her when she runs. Unless it is winter I don’t think these will hold up well for a run. If you wanted to keep them in car in a cooler for after the run, that would work. I had hoped these would make a portable snack for when my husband travels for work, but I think they are too soft out of the refrigerator. I will continue to work on this idea until I find the right combination that will remain firm without refrigeration.

Since the taste turned out well I told my hubby I would work on a version with a chocolate interior next. Expect to see that in a few days after we go through these. If someone in your house has a sore throat and is sick of smoothies, this is a nice change. Who doesn't like a little "candy" when they don't feel great?

Healthy Date and Walnut Truffles
Serves 15

Ingredients:

½ cup of almond milk
4 dates, chopped
1 tablespoon of white chia seeds, ground
1 cup of oatmeal
¼ cup of walnuts
1 tablespoon of white sesame seeds ground
¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
¼ teaspoon of powdered ginger
¼ cup of walnuts, ground – for the exterior
1 teaspoon of reduced fat coconut – for the exterior
1 teaspoon of cocoa powder – for the exterior

Directions:

Heat the almond milk and dates so the dates begin to soften. This will happen in a minute or two. Add the chia seeds to the almond milk so the chia seeds will absorb the liquid.

Grind the oatmeal and walnuts into the food processor until they are as fine as flour. This took about 2 minutes in my food processor. Add the cinnamon, ginger and almond date milk mixture and puree to combine.

Put the date and walnut mixture into a container with a lid and refrigerate until cool enough to handle (about an hour).

Form the date and walnut mixture into balls with your hands. Roll some of balls in the ground walnuts and place in a container in a single layer and refrigerate until you want to eat them. Continue rolling the remaining balls in the coconut and cocoa powder.

Place the balls in a single on a parchment or wax paper lined container. Cover and refrigerate until you want to eat them.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 59.6
Calories From Fat (45%) - 26.94

Total Fat - 3.44g
Saturated Fat - 0.35g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 6.19mg
Potassium - 71.98mg
Total Carbohydrates - 7.39g
Fiber - 1.67g
Sugar - 1.68g
Protein - 1.48

Comments:

These have good flavor and a creamy texture when cold from the refrigerator. Next time I have decided to work on making these more firm. Right now I am not certain how, but I will figure it out. I also think a hazelnut in the center like an Italian chocolate bacci would be a nice touch.

If you are looking for a quick snack from the refrigerator that contains healthy fat and carbs with a little protein these are quite tasty.

Banana, Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Oatmeal and Flaxseed Meal in a Glass

I made this smoothie to be an entire meal in a glass. When I don’t feel like I am 100% I would prefer to drink my breakfast rather that do a lot of chewing. I think the same can be said for most people.

According to one website I saw this morning there are over 400 medications that American’s take everyday that cause dry mouth. If anyone in your family is on a blood pressure medication they may be experiencing dry mouth. This breakfast would be great for them. I also understand that most cancer treatments cause dry mouth so this recipe would also be good for cancer patients.

This is one of those recipes I tinkered with in my cookbook program before I actually prepared it. An extra banana was added to this smoothie to increase the calories. I also used a little more dry oatmeal and peanut butter for the same reason.

My husband thought this smoothie was delicious, but he loves anything chocolate so that may be why he enjoyed it so much. This smoothie is thick, rich and goes down really easy.

Banana, Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Oatmeal and Flaxseed Meal in a Glass
Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 bananas
¾ cup of old fashioned oatmeal, dry
1 ½ tablespoons of cocoa powder
2 tablespoons of peanut butter
2 tablespoons of golden flaxseeds, ground
1 scoop of stevia
¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
¼ teaspoon of ginger, powdered
2 cups of almond milk, unsweetened
1 ½ cups of ice

Directions:

Put everything in the blender and puree until completely smooth. Serve immediately in a chilled glass.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 409.56
Calories From Fat (35%) - 145.27

Total Fat - 16.96g
Saturated Fat - 2.71g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 238.13mg
Potassium - 908.87mg
Total Carbohydrates - 61.26g
Fiber - 13.18g
Sugar - 16.18g
Protein - 12.55g

Comments:

The most dominant flavor in this smoothie is banana, followed by chocolate with peanut butter in the background. The ginger and cinnamon are very mild background flavors that add complexity to the smoothie without adding distinctive flavor.

This smoothie does contain a good bit of fat from the peanut butter and flaxseeds. Since I needed to up the calories I decided not to reduce the peanut butter. The flaxseeds contain healthy Omega 3's that fight cancer so I wasn't reducing those either.

I think this is my husband’s favorite smoothie so far. I thought it was very tasty and filling. The cool thickness would feel wonderful if anyone in your family has a sore throat.

Update:

My husband must have loved this smoothie. He asked me to make him a second one tonight for a snack since "he was certain he hadn't eaten enough today and needed the calories". Since my husband never asks for a specific item I know this smoothie was a winner.

Chocolate, Banana and Peanut Butter Smoothie

Today’s smoothie was a little different since it included cocoa powder. My husband is a chocoholic through and through. He loves all things chocolate. Since we are trying to eliminate sugar from our diet (because cancer loves sugar) we have also given up chocolate, although not intentionally. Today I thought I would see if I could add cocoa to our smoothie and see if we liked it. I initially made this smoothie without stevia and quickly realized it needed a little sweetener. I thought it was a little too sweet, but my husband did not think this smoothie was too sweet.

Chocolate, Banana and Peanut Butter Smoothie
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 frozen banana, peeled
2 tablespoons of golden flaxseeds, ground
½ cup of oatmeal, dry
1 ½ tablespoons of peanut butter
½ teaspoon of cinnamon, ground
½ teaspoon of ginger, powdered
1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
2 scoops (2 grams) of powdered stevia
1 ½ cups of water
8 ice cubes

Directions:

Toss everything in the blender and puree until completely smooth. Serve immediately in a chilled glass.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 258.55
Calories From Fat (37%) - 94.62

Total Fat - 11.31g
Saturated Fat - 2.04g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 13.58mg
Potassium - 423.73mg
Total Carbohydrates - 37.84g
Fiber - 8.96g
Sugar - 8.53g
Protein - 8.53g

Comments:

This was good blend of flavors. Not individual flavor was dominant in the final drink. I thought the smoothie was little too sweet, but my husband did not agree. He thought it could use more cocoa, I thought it had enough cocoa. What I am telling you is that when it comes to chocolate and sweetness we all have very individual tastes. I think this is a good starting point for a smoothie. Either way, we both liked this smoothie even though we didn't agree on the modifications to be made to the next version.

If you are concerned about adding the cocoa, remember that it is high in antioxidants. As always the flaxseeds were included for their Omega 3’s since they are anti-inflammatory and help fight cancer. The ginger is also anti-inflammatory and is included for the same reason.

Green Drink update:

We had a full strength green powder drink this morning. However we only had a half serving. We both drank it in three gulps. It is not enjoyable, and anyone that tells you it is, is lying. After our smoothie we discussed the drink and decided we can do three gulps, but don’t want to do more than that at one time. We also purchased red drink powder and are going to have a half serving of each (red and green powder) every day, one in the morning and one in the evening. At this point that is the best we can do. We may be able to up the dose in the future, but not just yet.