Vegan MOFO: Wicked Wednesday Chocolate Raspberry Moose and Squirrel

Ahhh, Wicked Wednesday turned into Very, Very Wicked Wednesday. First, I made this recipe Tuesday night and ate some on Wednesday. Then went to a casual in-the-park birthday party where they had the most amazing vegan, rich chocolate cake with a rich dark chocolate icing. Yes, I had a piece. THEN, the kids decided to go get ice cream, too! It's just around the corner from the park and they make a great coconut sorbet. Just one scoop, that's all I had.

Here's the latest version of my "Chocolate Mousse" which starts with a very basic recipe that you can add any flavoring to. (See Vegan Chocolate Peppermintini Mousse.)

I had some Raspberry wine in the pantry which was very thick and more like a liqueur. This made five large servings, but you can make 7-8 easily with smaller portions, more granola  and top it with some vegan whipped cream. And of course, some fresh raspberries!

Chocolate Raspberry Moose and Squirrel

1             aseptic package silken tofu
1 cup      vegan dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup   agave syrup or sugar of choice*
1/4  cup  Raspberry wine
1/2 Tbs   vanilla

* The Girl thinks this still needs more sugar. I like it at a 1/2 cup, but I think you could add 1/4-1/3 cup more.

Directions
1. Blend tofu and wine in a food processor or blender until very smooth. Add agave and vanilla, blend again.
2. Melt chips carefully and slowly in the microwave or on the stove-top.
3. Carefully add the melted chocolate chips to the tofu mixture while still in the processor or blender. Blend and scrape down sides until well blended.
4. Pour into serving cups or large bowl and store in fridge until cold. It will harden as it cools.

Serving suggestions:
Top with granola, whipped cream, more wine or liqueur, raspberries.

Vegan Chocolate Peppermintini Mousse

Vegan Chocolate Peppermintini Mousse
This is a very simple, no-cook (some melting is involved) recipe that really impresses people. You can even use this as a pie filling.

1 aseptic package silken tofu
1/4–1/2 cup Peppermintini mix (or any other liquid)
1 TBS agave (to taste)
a few drops mint flavoring
1/4 -1/2 bag vegan chocolate chips

Sprinkles and fresh mint for garnish

Blend tofu and liquids in food processor or blender until very smooth.

Melt chocolate chips on stove-top or in microwave. Add to tofu mixture in blender, scraping down sides well.

Put in small cups or one large bowl and store in fridge. You can eat it right away or let it get cold and harder in the fridge. Excellent with vegan whipped cream, nuts, granola, etc. Or fold in vegan whipped cream to make it more of an actual "mousse."

Note: You can put in more or fewer chocolate chips. The more–the firmer, the fewer–the softer and more pudding like. You can also use any kind of liquid you like–water, soy milk, Kahlua or other strongly flavored liqueurs. The chocolate is such a strong flavor that it easily overpowers anything you put in!

Chavomondo Milkshake

Raw version, serves 1-2
1/4 cup almonds (soak first if you like)
7 oz water
1 avocado
1-2 Tbs raw cacao powder
1-2 Tbs raw agave nectar
2-3 ice cubes

Optional ideas
cinnamon
nutmeg
mint

Soak almonds first in water for an hour, if you like, then drain. Place in blender with 7 oz water and blend until smooth. You can now choose to strain out the almond pulp if you want a very smooth milkshake or keep it in for more fiber and protein.

Add avocado, cacao and agave nectar, blend until very smooth.

Ahh...chocolatey raw goodness! (This doesn't have to be raw. You could use any prepared non-dairy milk, regular cocoa powder and any kind of sweetener. I can see this being very tasty with coconut milk, a little mint at the holidays or even cinnamon and nutmeg.)

Chocolate Cranberry Blossoms

This is a recipe from the blog of Meghan Telpner, Making Love in the Kitchen. It was fairly easy to make, although I have some suggestions after trying this myself. (Just melt the coconut oil and mix with chocolate. Take it off the heat very quickly. Mine cooked too long and got fudge-y.) This was my first attempt at a confection like this.

You can visit her blog at this link to see the recipe. (And find all the other goodness she has there!)

http://meghantelpnerblog.com/2011/03/14/spike-march-break-monday-with-chocolate-and-rum/

Changes I made:

• I used agave syrup instead of honey.
• Be sure to "just" melt the coconut oil and mix in the chocolate, do not overcook, it will become very thick and not pourable.
• I was only able to make six Blossoms, but maybe I could have made the 12 if the chocolate had stayed pourable. It still worked and they tasted great.

This is a perfect recipe to try if you are hoping to impress a vegan. We so rarely get to eat desserts that we haven't made ourselves because they contain dairy, egg or other animal products. This is even gluten-free. I think you could even use all raw ingredients and melt the coconut oil in a bath of hot water to keep it "legally" raw.

The green you see here is a chocolate mint I have growing in my yard. I didn't use it in this recipe, but thought it would make such a pretty addition.