Mealtime Magic: Chocolate Avocado Mousse and Five-Ingredient Fudge Cups

Reprinted courtesy of My Pinewood Kitchen: A Southern Culinary Cure/130+ Crazy Delicious, Gluten-Free Recipes to Reduce Inflammation and Make Your Gut Happy

Chocolate Avocado Mousse
Makes 4 servings

EVERYONE I KNOW LOVES this mousse—and no one can tell that this one is made with avocados. If you can taste the avocado, add more cacao next time. It’s a great way to use up older avocados that are starting to brown a little. Garnish with fresh fruit or chopped nuts. I like to serve this mousse with whipped coconut cream—YUMMO!

4 ripe avocados
⅓ cup local honey or coconut nectar*
1 ripe banana (optional)
½ cup raw cacao powder
2 tablespoons organic coconut milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch sea salt
Substitutions: *If watching sugar, use an equivalent amount of stevia; however, coconut nectar is low glycemic.

In a food processor, blend the avocado until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients, blending until the mixture is uniform.
Pour into a dish and chill for 2 hours in the fridge or 30 minutes in the freezer.

Five-Ingredient Fudge Cups
Pure cocoa powder is packed with antioxidants that help protect our cells. Since 1 tablespoon contains 12.42 mg of caffeine, if you’re looking for a little caffeine pick-me-up midafternoon, this little treat is perfect. If you want to skip the caffeine, swap out the dark chocolate for carob chips.

Makes 4 servings

1 cup vegan dark chocolate chips or carob chips
6 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch sea salt

Using a mini muffin tin, line 12 mini muffin cups with paper liners.
In a double boiler set over gently simmering water, combine the chips, coconut milk, and coconut oil. Stir often until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and sea salt.
Divide among the prepared muffin pans. Refrigerate for 1 hour or freeze for 30 minutes until set.

With COVID-19 keeping us at home more and shopping less, home chefs need to get creative while cooking tasty, healthy meals for their entire family. Chef and author Mee McCormick is an expert: she healed herself of Crohn's disease, gut issues, and other immune system challenges with whole food recipes when doctors couldn't help her. My Pinewood Kitchen: A Southern Culinary Cure offers more than 100 gluten-free, whole foods recipes that can be customized for Keto, Paleo, or vegans, making it a truly "all-inclusive" eating plan for the entire family. From smoothies, soups and salads, to dinners and desserts, every recipe is gluten-free and gut-friendly.