Cooking from scratch can be a major time sink. But I've found a few recipes that are really easy and totally yummy. This is one of them.
My sister sent me a link for Chia Chocolate Mousse (dairy-free, vegan) (Her picture is prettier than mine.). The first time I made it, I was too lazy to grind up the chia seeds first. Otherwise I followed the recipe and the mousse was a hit with the kids. The second time I made it, I figured I really should follow the recipe the way it's written. I assumed that grinding the chia seeds up with enable the mousse to thicken without having chewy seeds bits to contend with. So I followed the directions and we all agreed, it just didn't taste as good. The chia seeds, when powdered, added a slightly bitter-ish taste that none of us liked. I tried following the recipe to the letter one more time with the same results. So I've gone back to not grinding the chia seeds.
With my Ninja food processor, making several grab-and-go servings of mousse is a breeze. I make vanilla first, then cocao.
Ingredients
1 can Natural Value Organic Coconut Milk (which doesn't contain guar gum, a GAPS no-no)
1/3 cup honey (I don't really measure, so this is approximate. When you measure honey, you lose some in the measuring cup. I'd rather put that honey in my mousse.) :-}
flavoring - either vanilla, almond extract, or cocoa. You want to add to taste so for vanilla I go with about a teaspoon, with the almond extract I use a wee bit less. With the cocoa you can add 1/3 cup if you want the mousse pretty dark chocolatey, or a little less (1/8th cup-ish) for a more milk chocolately flavor.
2 tablespoons chia seeds
Directions
1. This is where the Ninja comes in so handy. I suspect a Bullet or a mixing wand might work well. I use the personal sized cup on the Ninja and fill it with the can of coconut milk, the honey, and whatever flavoring I've chosen. (If you're making several batches, start with the lightest flavor first.)
2. Once you've dumped all but the chia seeds in, blend the ingredients till the honey is mixed in thoroughly.
3. Add the chia seeds. I use a knife to stir the seeds in because I've already got a butter knife out that I used to scrape out any coconut milk that wasn't willing to leave the can of its own accord.
4. This makes about 30 oz. of mousse. I use five 6 oz. canning jars with lids. That way I can pile these up in the fridge and toss them into school lunches if I want. Fill each container half way, then go back and finish filling them all the way up. That way, if your chia seeds all sank to the bottom, you won't end up with no chia seeds in the first few and tons in the final jars. I've only had that happen to me once, but I've learned to half fill first just to make sure I'm getting a better mix of chia seeds throughout.
5. Screw the lids on and throw these babies into the fridge. They should be ready to chow down on within an hour or so.
6. If you want to make another batch, I always rinse out the blender cup to get any chia seeds out. I don't do a thorough job because I don't care if the other ingredients get mixed into the new batch. I just don't want blenderized chia seeds. I don't bother washing off the blender blade since that didn't touch the chia seeds. Throw in another can of coconut milk, more honey, and add a new flavoring ingredient so you have a little variety to choose from when you want a snack.
My sister sent me a link for Chia Chocolate Mousse (dairy-free, vegan) (Her picture is prettier than mine.). The first time I made it, I was too lazy to grind up the chia seeds first. Otherwise I followed the recipe and the mousse was a hit with the kids. The second time I made it, I figured I really should follow the recipe the way it's written. I assumed that grinding the chia seeds up with enable the mousse to thicken without having chewy seeds bits to contend with. So I followed the directions and we all agreed, it just didn't taste as good. The chia seeds, when powdered, added a slightly bitter-ish taste that none of us liked. I tried following the recipe to the letter one more time with the same results. So I've gone back to not grinding the chia seeds.
With my Ninja food processor, making several grab-and-go servings of mousse is a breeze. I make vanilla first, then cocao.
Cocao on the left, vanilla on the right. This is before the ingredients are blended.
Ingredients
1 can Natural Value Organic Coconut Milk (which doesn't contain guar gum, a GAPS no-no)
1/3 cup honey (I don't really measure, so this is approximate. When you measure honey, you lose some in the measuring cup. I'd rather put that honey in my mousse.) :-}
flavoring - either vanilla, almond extract, or cocoa. You want to add to taste so for vanilla I go with about a teaspoon, with the almond extract I use a wee bit less. With the cocoa you can add 1/3 cup if you want the mousse pretty dark chocolatey, or a little less (1/8th cup-ish) for a more milk chocolately flavor.
2 tablespoons chia seeds
Directions
1. This is where the Ninja comes in so handy. I suspect a Bullet or a mixing wand might work well. I use the personal sized cup on the Ninja and fill it with the can of coconut milk, the honey, and whatever flavoring I've chosen. (If you're making several batches, start with the lightest flavor first.)
2. Once you've dumped all but the chia seeds in, blend the ingredients till the honey is mixed in thoroughly.
3. Add the chia seeds. I use a knife to stir the seeds in because I've already got a butter knife out that I used to scrape out any coconut milk that wasn't willing to leave the can of its own accord.
4. This makes about 30 oz. of mousse. I use five 6 oz. canning jars with lids. That way I can pile these up in the fridge and toss them into school lunches if I want. Fill each container half way, then go back and finish filling them all the way up. That way, if your chia seeds all sank to the bottom, you won't end up with no chia seeds in the first few and tons in the final jars. I've only had that happen to me once, but I've learned to half fill first just to make sure I'm getting a better mix of chia seeds throughout.
5. Screw the lids on and throw these babies into the fridge. They should be ready to chow down on within an hour or so.
6. If you want to make another batch, I always rinse out the blender cup to get any chia seeds out. I don't do a thorough job because I don't care if the other ingredients get mixed into the new batch. I just don't want blenderized chia seeds. I don't bother washing off the blender blade since that didn't touch the chia seeds. Throw in another can of coconut milk, more honey, and add a new flavoring ingredient so you have a little variety to choose from when you want a snack.
I put the can in the picture so you could get a sense of the size of the jars.
You can sorta see the darker chia seeds in these cans of vanilla mousse.
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