Wilde Chocolate Mousse

This delectable dessert was a wonderful treat my dear friend Abby Wilde made that I just had to share. Protein in a dessert? Surely not! Linger with this decadent mousse and a bowl full of strawberries for a sinless extravagance.

Wilde Chocolate Mousse
(makes 4)

1 10oz bag of semisweet chocolate chips (*for a vegan mousse, use vegan chocolate chips)

1 14oz package silken tofu

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract (I only used 1/2 tsp)
strawberries (*technically optional, but you won't have the full taste-tacular experience without them)

1) Let the tofu come to room temperature. It will greatly ease your chocolate incorporation.
2) Using your blending contraption of choice, blend tofu until smooth and set aside.
3) Melt the chocolate. I'm sure you have a nifty method for this. I MacGyvered a double-boiler out of a saucepan and a mason jar. Go me!
4) Add maple syrup and vanilla extract to the melted chocolate and mix well.
5) Combine tofu and chocolate mixture in your blender and blend away. You should have a pourable-pudding texture going on about now.
6) Pour mousse into serving vessels, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge. I don't know exactly how long it needs to firm up -- probably not more than an hour. I prepared mine the night before and let it chill overnight.
7) Eat ravenously.

Go on, have a peace! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Pumpkin Mookies

I love autumn. The moment that first swell of cold hits me in the street in September, I get a thrill of anticipation that sends me to the store in search of pumpkins and squash. I lived in New York for a while and I remember how excited I got as I drove to school and saw the first leaves turning from green to red. Now, in California, I don't get to watch the leaves turn, but I can still get my pumpkin fix!

Here's a tasty little treat I came up with today which is simply and awesomely autumn-y. :) They were supposed to be cookies, but they came out with more of a muffin consistency than I had anticipated. So, for your munching pleasure: mookies!

Pumpkin Mookies

(makes 18-24)

2/3 cup IC's EZ Homemade Pumpkin Butter (recipe at the bottom)

2 tbsp almond milk

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup agave nectar

1/4 cup Grade B maple syrup

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

1 tbsp flax seed meal

~1 cup all purpose flour

~1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Set oven to 325 F. Prepare two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together your liquid ingredients until they are smoothly combined. Sift in the powder ingredients, then stir until the batter is consistent and lumpless. 

Spoon out 1-2 spoonfuls batter onto the cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 15 minutes. 

Enjoy!

IreniCineri's EZ Homemade Pumpkin Butter

(makes 2 claussen pickle jars full)

1 can canned pumpkin

3/4 cup apple cider

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1.5 cups brown sugar

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium low heat. Simmer there for 30 minutes, stirring regularly. 

Let stand on the stovetop for about 15 minutes, then scoop into your prepared jars.

This pumpkin butter makes an excellent autumnal addition to baked goods and pastries, but can also be enjoyed simply spread on a piece of toast or (if you're feeling decadent) sucked off a spoon. 

Note: You can buy mason jars at Costco or Michaels. Personally, I just save all my jars from everything, clean them, and store them until I find a use for them. (You will see one of the many uses I have found for them when I get around to talking about my fun halloween decor...)

Go on! Have a peace!

Easy Cashew Chicken

Hello! And welcome to another episode of: What's in my Kitchen?

Cashews, in the pantry, leftover from my trail mix. Chicken, in the freezer, leftover from making chicken satay the other day (which was delish, by the by). Edamame, in the fridge, because it's an awesome snack food. Ginger and garlic, also leftover from chicken satay making.

So. What to do... Cashews. Chicken. Aha!

Cashew Chicken de ma cuisine
(Makes 4 servings)

2 tsp dark sesame oil (I always have this in my kitchen. It's a great base oil for stir-fry)
1/4 medium white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1.6 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut into cubes
1 cup raw cashews
~1.5 inches fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock (can use vegetable stock if you want)
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 cup edamame (I buy the already shelled ones from Trader Joe's. They're yummy, but have a short shelf life.)

Put 1 tsp of dark sesame oil in a large nonstick skillet. Set the stove to medium low.  Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally. Do not allow the onion to brown - just cook until soft and translucent - should take 6-8 minutes. Remove the onions into a bowl and set them to the side.

Add the second tsp of dark sesame oil and tilt it around the pan, then add the minced garlic and cook that for about 4 minutes until the garlic has softened somewhat. Don't let the garlic brown either. No browning - this is not one of my crispy dishes!

Turn up the stove to medium heat and add the chicken breast, cashews, and ginger to the skillet. Cook all together, stirring frequently to avoid browning and burning, until the outside of the chicken is all cooked.

Now, stir in the chicken broth, soy sauce, and maple syrup. [Note: the chicken broth totally softens up the chicken. You have no danger of tough chicken with that in the mix.] Next, add the onions back into the skillet and cook for another five minutes. Keep stirring, mixing up all those yummy things and making sure all the chicken gets nice and juicy.

Finally, you add in the edamame and cook it with all the rest for another 4-8 minutes. I did 4.5 minutes, but I figure different stoves cook differently, etc. The main thing is you'll want to check and make sure all the chicken is cooked through.

I served this over leftover brown rice (from chicken satay night) and then sprinkled it with a few roasted sesame seeds. It had a nice combination of sweet and savory, soft and crunchy - yum. :) And best of all, it only took about 20 minutes (not including the time it took to defrost my frozen chicken breasts). I bet it would be really good served over cooked green beans or asparagus, too.

Raw Cinnamon-Sunflower Truffles (now with almonds)

A coupled days ago, I made the Cinnamon-Sunflower Truffles posted by The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen with a couple small changes and brought them to a party at a friend's house with excellent results. All credit goes to them. For their blog and their exact recipe, click here. And go check out the rest of their recipes - I've tried several of them and they are all supremely superb.

Raw Cinnamon-Sunflower Truffles

[Note: You'll need a food processor to make these.]

2 cups raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup raw unsalted, sliced almonds

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

~1 cup pitted medjool dates (I used a few more than called for)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons maple syrup (Can also use dark agave syrup)

~ 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut powder (The recipe calls for shredded coconut, but I was unable to find any shredded that was unsweetened, so I used the powdered kind. The texture, I thought, was better than it would have been with shredded, but it's up to your taste.)

Directions:

Place the sunflower seeds, cinnamon, and sea salt into a food processor fitted with the "s" blade. Process until seeds are very finely ground (~2-3 min). 


Then add the pitted dates and olive oil. Process again until combined and sticky. The recipe said only to add the agave maple syrup if need be - but the dates I had were not squishy enough to moisten the mix. The best way to gaugue whether you need the extra sweetener is to check to see if you can form a ball by rolling a spoonful of the mixture in your hands. If it falls apart then add more sweetener and process again.


Scoop out the sunflower mixture by the large spoonful and roll into balls. Then roll in coconut powder. Store in the fridge for up to 10 days. We ate them on the second day and they were delicious. 

[Original source: www.nourishingmeals.com]