I thought long and hard about a Valentine’s Day dessert recipe to tout to the twenty something gal who’s smart and savvy, but has little time to spend in the kitchen. The ease of  this chocolate treat made me curious; it is soooo easy to prepare even kids can make it. I’m not talking You, twenty something gals, I’m talking first and second graders, here! I watched them at a local Williams-Somona.  It was a promotion for Jennifer Tyler Lee’s book The 52 New Foods Challenge.  And so, that’s how the story begins, of this Valentine’s Day chocolate recipe…

Although appealing to me, I must be honest with you, I didn’t score any brownie points with ‘the man’.  He would have been happier with.. ahem… Bobby Flay’s version (which btw takes over one hour and fifteen minutes to prepare). While cleaning up, He (aka the man) challenged me, “Are you altering the recipe for some minor nutritional improvements?” 

So here’s how it break downs, Honey:

Bobby Flay’s Dark Chocolate Mousse recipe  per serving : 450 calories, 33 g fat, 21 g sat’d fat, 97 mg cholesterol, 234 mg sodium, 17 g sugar, 2 g fiber.

Made according to my recipe (posted below) per serving: 227 calories, 14 g fat, 4 g sat’d fat, 1 mg cholesterol, 25 mg sodium, 15 g sugar, 7 g  fiber

Clearly this one was not so minor. That said, if you know your man loves to get jacked up on sugar and prefers milk chocolate to dark chocolate DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS RECIPE. It will fail. Save it instead for a girls night in. But, if he’s from California, you may proceed.

For the interest of anyone who may be reading,  and asking me (along  with members of my family whose names I will withhold),  the obvious question: Why do you continue to use dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate or avocado instead of heavy cream, if you know,  no one you’re cooking for  will appreciate it (except yourself)? These are some of the internal conflicts a blogger often faces and legitimately described by Regan Jones R.D. in her post How My Blog was Ruining Dinnertime. (If you’re interested in this topic and you haven’t read this, you should.) I have those same blogging issues. And yes, sometimes my family  accuses me of.. gasp.. cooking for the blog. So do I believe I should have made the dessert Bobby Flay’s  way?  No. For whatever it’s worth, I try to follow a give and take. Sometimes making the family favorites, other times pushing the envelope.  I do find that getting individuals to expand their palates is not an overnight process. (Twenty years ago my husband would not touch yogurt with a ten foot pole, now he reminds me when we’re out.) Yes, I said twenty years!!! Don’t give up! I do think it’s important to continue to expose individuals to healthier choices, mixed in with  familiar foods. It’s not perfect, but I’m not trying to be perfect at what I do, just good at it: wife, mother, blogger, and dietitian.

Let me know how you try to introduce new foods to your family? or do you prefer to just play it safe?

No Bake Chocolate Mousse

A lighter version of chocolate mousse that’s plant based and vegetarian.

• Author: Diane Boyd
• Yield: 2 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 avocado
• 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
• 3/4 ounce dark chocolate, melted
• 1 pitted date
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 Tablespoons sweetened whipped cream
• handful of pomegranate seeds for garnish

Instructions

1. Add avocado, cocoa powder, date, skim milk and vanilla to blender or food processor.

2. Process until smooth.

3. Melt dark chocolate in a microwave safe bowl or in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add melted chocolate to mixture in blender and blend again until creamy and smooth.

4. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or up to 24 hours. Serve with whipped topping. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.

Nutrition

• Calories: 227
• Sugar: 15 grams
• Sodium: 25 mg
• Fat: 14 grams
• Saturated Fat: 4 grams
• Fiber: 7 grams