Chocolate Avocado Mousse

America’s Avocado Obsession

Right now the internet is abuzz with the wonders of avocados. Until recently avocados were typically consumed with Mexican food, in the form of guacamole. However, as the field of nutrition has moved away from the fat-free craze of the 90’s to recognizing the health benefits of some types of fats, avocados have gained in popularity – as they are an amazing source of GOOD fat! You will find them on pictures on Instagram adorning salads, bowls, toast and more. You can also find many great avocado recipes for sweet treats including smoothies, brownies, and puddings. In fact, I recently wrote a post that included a review of the Key Lime Pudding recipe from The Blender Girl, which is totally delicious by the way. This inspired me to try to find new fun ways to add avocados to our life, which resulted in the development of a new recipe for Creamy Chocolate Avocado Mousse (yes, I share it down at the bottom of this post.)

Health Benefits of Avocado

Avocados are often described as a vegetable, but they are actually a stone fruit that grows in warm climates. They are loaded with the HEALTHY monounsaturated fatty acids and fiber. This combination of healthy fats and fiber helps with satiety, which is the feeling of fullness. This means you are less likely to feel hungry after eating an avocado, which helps with blood sugar control and weight management.

According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, one half of an avocado (approximately 68 grams) contains:

• 114 calories
• nearly 10.5 grams of fat
• 1.3 grams of protein
• 4.6 grams of fiber
• only 0.2 grams of sugar

Avocados are a great source for many important nutrients including: several B vitamins, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, potassium, lutein, and magnesium. The best kept secret about the vitamin and mineral density of avocados is that gram for gram avocados have more potassium than a banana. In fact, avocados are a great food source for athletes looking to replenish electrolytes. A great trick for getting electrolytes in your diet is adding 1/2 of an avocado to a post-workout smoothie!

My Creamy Chocolate Avocado Mousse Recipe

First, yes I know this is NOT a low-sugar recipe. The recipe as written is what my family enjoys as an occasional sweet treat. If you are counting your macros or just interested in reducing the sugar in your diet, I encourage you to start with less honey (reduce recipe to 1/4 cup) and adjust based on taste. You may replace the honey with maple syrup if your prefer maple syrup as a sweetener. Also, I am sure you are wondering why on earth there is black pepper in a dessert recipe, but I encourage you to trust me and not omit it. The ground black pepper brings out the depth of the chocolate!