3 Ingredient Nutella Avocado Banana Mousse

Today I have a special treat for you: luxuriously smooth and creamy chocolate decadence which is actually healthy, and what is more, is ready in under 5 minutes. I know, it sounds too good to be true. This 3 ingredient mousse tastes and looks absolutely sinful, but it's creamy lusciousness hides a surprising secret: 

Nutrient rich avocados and a banana that are completely enveloped by the deliciousness of nutella or if you are allergic to nuts, simply melted chocolate, or even  cocoa powder and a bit of sweetener of your choice. Yes, yes! Believe! It is even more delicious than it looks! and no, you cannot taste much of the avocado or the banana. You probably wouldn't even guess they were there if I hadn't told you. All you taste is deep chocolate decadence and all you feel is smooth creaminess that your spoon will not have enough of! 

Whenever I think of avocados I remember those early months with the toddler when he had just started on baby food. Mashed bananas and avocados, roasted pureed sweet potatoes- these were our picky eater's favorites. Avocados were blended with a little sugar or maple syrup a lot in this house. Past the finger food stage however, we had rarely bought them, mainly because I actually don't like them very much. 

Then one day a couple of friends got together for a potluck and my friend Vijitha brought over a chocolate mousse. When I heard that it was made with cocoa and avocados I was pretty sure I wouldn't like it, because I just don't like the taste of avocados. I think they taste kind of eggy. But her mousse looked so creamy and irresistible I had to taste it, and gosh was I proved wrong! I LOVED it!  

The awesome thing about avocados, apart from their dreamy creaminess, is that although it has a pretty strong flavor on it's own, when it is mixed with something else, it completely takes on the flavor of whatever it is that you mix in. And what could be better than nutella?

We love desserts, T and I, and our little three year old has a big sweet tooth too. The last couple of years we definitely have indulged a little too much, thanks mostly to my baking obsession. So this year, at-least while my new year resolutions are still quite fresh in my mind, I was on the lookout for healthier alternatives to satisfy our sugar cravings.  

When some one tells me that something is healthy, I used to automatically expect it to taste "healthy". You know what I mean. Healthy desserts are a bit of an oxymoron right? Chalky, tasteless is what I had come to expect of most desserts that had been robbed of butter, cream, sugar, eggs and other sinful ingredients that make it awesome yet overindulgent.
If you are an unbeliever too then one taste of this mousse will convince you that going healthy does not mean missing out on delicious.

Since today is World Nutella Day, I couldn't resist making something rich and purely decadent and this secretly healthier mousse totally hits the spot.

Even though I waited till today to post this, I have actually made this mousse many times, especially since it is dairy-free, eggless and allergy friendly and wholesome for the three year old and not even T could tell that this was a "healthier" version of mousse. It can be slathered on anything, and I am also  planning on using it to fill crepes like the ones I always make sure to get whenever we head to Fisherman's warf in San Francisco. They make the crepes on large cast iron griddles, slather a big gloop of nutella on them and serve it to you hot and crispy, with sliced strawberries on the side.

I love going over to Pier 39. It is such a colourful, bustling place. I like playing tourist and going over to gawk at the sea lions, watching the street performers and eating nutella crepes are almost always part of the experience. These pictures were taken on our last visit to Fisherman's wharf over the holidays. 

This mousse it would make a really rich tasting, thick and creamy chocolate frosting for a layer cake, or sandwiched between cookies... I am sure I will be playing with this healthy mousse in many ways!

Recipe for 3 ingredient Nutella Avocado Banana Mousse 

Yield: Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 Avocados ( Tastes best with ones that are just ripe, dent lightly when pressed with a finger, with green not brown flesh)
• 1 Yellow, not over ripe banana (Over browned bananas may have a stronger banana flavor)
• 1/3 Cup Nutella (Use less or more as per your preference)
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder ( optional- I use and love Ghirardelli's unsweetened, Cadbury's or Valrhona)

Directions:

• Whizz all of the ingredients in a blender or use an immersion blender until creamy and combined and no lumps remain ( Do not add any liquid) 

Note: 

Taste and add more nutella, a sweetener, or if you like, a shot of vanilla extract, or even balsamic vinegar or a little sea salt if you like some tang.

In place of the nutella you can also use chocolate chunks that have been melted in warmed milk or soymilk
You can also just mix the mashed avocados with or without the banana with just cocoa powder and a sweetener like sugar or maple syrup as per the original recipe that this version was inspired by.

Can store the mousse for about a day or two in the fridge and serve either at room temp or chilled.

If you are as nuts about nutella as I am, you may like to check out other recipes celebrating nutella here

Tweet

Eppa Sangria Cranberry Preserve with Easy Yogurt Pannacotta

There is a tangible sense of excitement and expectation in December. I always feel like something amazing is going to happen, a feeling echoed perhaps from thousands of years ago at that very first Christmas... December has since always been a month of hope, and is definitely the happiest month of the year. In my life December has always been the month of new beginnings-T and I were married in December four fleeting years ago, we came to this country on the last day of the month to bein our new life together here, and it is also the month that I began another beautiful new journey as a mom to my little monkey. I am always excited to see what December brings! 

One of the things I enjoy the most about this time of the year is getting together with friends and family. Everyone takes the time out and makes the extra effort to get together, sit at one table, share stories, laughter and create memories. Food is festive, rich and plentiful and wine always seems to flow more freely.
Living close to Napa Valley I always like discovering new wines to try and I was only happy to accept when the people of Eppa Sangria asked me if I would like to review their wine.

On a whim I also used it to make a cranberry preserve or dessert topping for a creamy panna cotta that I made lighter replacing half greek yogurt in place of cream. I think I came up with the perfect Christmas time dessert- it is a light refreshing end to a heavy meal, is super easy and takes only a few minutes, a saucepan and a spoon to put together, you can make it ahead to set and chill in your fridge and it doesn't take up oven space. With a seasonally apt red cranberry topping infused with spices and wine how much more perfect can it get?

I made the dessert for some friends who came home for dinner and I also served them the wine which I was not so surprised to note was preferred more by us women because of its sweet taste and fruitiness. I think Sangria just looks so pretty too, with the bobbing bits of fruit that infuse the wine with their bright fresh flavors.

Eppa Sangria is a combination of Cabernet and Syrah from beautiful Mendocino County, blended with fruit juces from antioxidant-rich fruits, including pomegranate, blueberry, Mediterranean blood orange and acai. I was pleased to learn that this makes it nearly twice as antioxidant rich as a glass of red wine and it is also certified organic- something that is not very easy to find. You can buy it in Whole Foods or other stores mentioned on their website and you can also have it shipped to most states. It came to me well packed in thermocole bottle savers and could be a good gift idea to send friends and family who don't live close by.

I made the cranberry preserve by simmering the red berries until they burst with spices and citrus zest and it is even more delicious than it looks, especially when paired with the refreshingly light and so easy to make pannacotta. I'm sure it would taste great with crackers or cookies, plain yogurt, or even with cheese. I would probably spoon it over ice cream especially this one.

Tweet

Lonan's Tender Coconut Pudding for The Kerala Kitchen!

 I have wanted to make tender coconut pudding for a while now. Finally when my father brought home a bunch of perfect tender coconuts  from, of all places- a charity auction for the local church community, I jumped at the chance. Divine providence, even in matters as small and unimportant as my longing for tender coconut pudding ! This recipe is from Lonan, a famous cook in Kerala who's recipes are hailed as being fail-proof by my mom and aunts.One bite of this silky smooth, refreshing tender coconut pudding and you will be transported instantly to the almost assaultingly green and peaceful Kerala.

I have been having a happy but hectic past month here in India, hence the lack of updates. Hope you have all been well and those in the US had a good thanksgiving feast and ate an extra slice of pie for me since I left before I could bake even one, though I did have more than my fair share last year!

Here its cloudy and chilly with the heavens threatening to pour down on us and warnings of floods and dams bursting. All around sombre reminders of how much at the mercy of God and nature we always are..
Inspite of the gloomy weather I have been having a wonderful time with my family and friends here who I am meeting after 3 long years. Been trying to take a break from the Internet and maximize our time visiting my mom-in-law and watching mallu movies, managing to do a little bit of shopping and lots of cooking and baking up a storm with her as she is an awesome baker herself and makes the world's BEST tea cake.Her cook Sarah also taught me finally how to roll and make the perfect fluffy fulkas and crispest dosas!

I also had the awesome opportunity to renew my spiritual life through a Catholic retreat for 5 days. So that's where I was the last week, in total peace, away from the pull and tug of everyday distractions and really close to God and learning so much more about my faith.

During my self imposed Internet break, I received the nicest surprise- my first ever DMBLGIT (Does My Blog Look Good in This) Photography Award! for the picture in my post here. Am thrilled beyond words!
Also ecstatic that despite Ria and I being off on holiday, our cooking event featuring the cuisine of our homeland The Kerala Kitchen has been going on in full swing thanks to our AWESOME members! Thank you ladies for all the deliciousness and especially to our wonderful hosts including this month's host Fajeeda of Faji's Hot Pot and the host for December Sonia of Dinner Recipe Guide 
Fajeeda, here is a delicious tropical dessert full of the taste of Kerala for your roundup!

Tweet

ada payasam for onam (sweet flattened rice and milk pudding from Kerala)

Tuesday September 11 2001. Ten years. Gosh has it been that long? I am not from New York. I have never been to New York but I am sure like me, almost everyone around the world will remember what they  were doing that day. Early in the morning, I was in my college hostel room in India prepping for a test when my roommate rushed in with the day's news paper. I will never forget the look on her face. Shock, disbelief. Such a senseless tragedy that impacted so many innocent lives.

I remember asking my grandfather after a trip to the zoo when I was eight or so, which animal he was thought could be the scariest and he answered "Man". I understand today how much cruelty and at the same time, how much goodness man is capable of.

By contrast, September is the beginning of many celebrations in India. There are many religious festivals during this time starting with Ramzan to Ganesh Chaturthi to the week long Diwali celebrations in October and ending with Christmas and the universal New Year's festivities when the air is thick from the smoke of fireworks. In Kerala this weekend many Malayalis like me, whether they be Hindus or Christians or Muslims would have wished each other a Happy Onam although Onam is a Hindu festival unique to the state. They believe that during Onam the good king Mahabali visits the homes of his people and so special feasts are prepared and a carpet of flowers laid out to receive him. Today it is celebrated by one and all. Who would not like to share in a delicious feast? I wish we all can find more such happy reasons to come together.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Onam weekend. I enjoyed having my mom here in the US for Onam and the two payasams she made. The first is my favourite and very simple to make,  in fact I would call it beginner's payasam. Am sending this off to Divya who is hosting this month's edition of The Kerala Kitchen  as well as to Shulie for her Rice Love event :)

Tweet

DB:Maple mousse in an edible container-Swan Cream Puff

When I was a kid, I was enthralled by an animated version of the ballet Swan Lake. The story of a princess turned into a swan by day as a result of a curse, who regains her human form only at night, was as haunting as the music.

My first ever Daring Bakers challenge- the Joconde that I over baked so it cracked and leaked was definitely the ugly duckling. This time the challenge was to create an edible container for some wonderful Maple mousse, and I decided that it had to be a swan!

A cream puff swan to be more exact, filled with dreamy maple mousse and topped with whipped maple cream!I loved the sensation of the cold creamy mousse oozing out of the warm crisp shell when you bit into it! 

I also made two variations -Bailey's Maple mousse and also some swans or (rather swan parts) were filled with Cardamom Maple mousse ( because I cannot resist adding cardamom into everything!)

Both the mousse and the cream puffs were really easy to make and I'm so happy that something so simple could look and taste so great, and make me look like some sort of pastry genius! I think I might have gone a little overboard though when I decided to have my puff swan swim in a lake of Maple Syrup with bacon crumbles on the side! 

Tweet

Lemon curd and some citrus love!

Citrus. Citrus. Citrus. My current favourite word, and one of my all time favourite flavors. Mouth puckeringly tangy, fresh lemons, oranges, sweet limes! Whenever I have a chocolate overdose, I find relief by indulging in some serious citrusyness. hence, you'll find many citrus based recipes here. 

I think some tangyness is in order in the middle of my sweetness overdose! Yes it has been all sweets all this week over here, with my sweet celebration mini event. Joining me in tempting you today is:

Vidhya of Vidhya's good eats with some gorgeous Red velvet bites topped with coconut, inspired by Lamingtons and Renita of On My Platter with a delicious Meringue Coffee Cake filled with Nutella- my other addiction! You can get even by tempting us back with your sweet dish posts from this week by leaving the link in my comments. 

Tweet

Lebni (strained yogurt) Tart for Spring!

Its Spring! Although that means erratic rains in this part of the country, some days when its cloudy and very much like the monsoons back home, other days the sun is out, the air is crisp and you notice flowers, all kinds of them everywhere! 

In this riot of colours, sometimes what stands out is a lone white flower, a calla lily perhaps? or a white gardenia with the dew still on its petals. Pure, simple, ethereal and beautiful in a totally non-showy way. 

That's exactly what this dessert is like. It is also light, delicate, tender and fresh- perfect for spring.

Lebni, Labneh or Keffir cheese is a type of Mediterranean cheese, but it really is just strained yogurt.

Tweet

Daring Baker's challenge: Vanilla bean Yogurt Panna cotta with Blackberry coulis

I recently joined the Daring Baker's group because I thought in addition to chasing after a little monkey who is all over the place, making sure he doesn't climb into cabinets, eat insects or paper ( his treat of choice) hang upside down from his swing ( when he's feeling a little xtreme sportsy) and other unpredictable heart attack inducing (for me)  feats, I needed to be challenged. That I needed even more worrying, meltdowns, anxiety attacks.

Tweet

Low fat Chocolate Truffle Mousse from Alice Medrich

I promised to post a couple more dreamy desserts I made from the book I'm currently madly in love with "Chocolate and the Art of Low-Fat Desserts" by Chocolate guru Alice Medrich and just in time for Valentines day I present to you this decadent, versatile chocolate mousse.
It's rich, silky, extra chocolate-y with bittersweet chocolate and cocoa and has less than half the fat of regular mousse because it is lightened with egg whites and contains no cream! It can be eaten as it, or used as fillings and in the coming days I'll be showing you the many delicious uses I put it to :)

Tweet

Alice Medrich's simple low fat chocolate pudding and a Joconde imprime /entremets which is not!

T is convinced that I am obsessed with Alice Medrich. It's true- I am! It all began very innocently. I needed a quick baking fix and so made this batch of cocoa brownies which took about 20 mins to make, with really simple ingredients. Then there was this Mocha tart- again simple to make, but a decadent chocolate experience. Since then Alice has become my chocolate Guru. 

My favourite thing to eat these days is pudding. Warm, uncomplicated, familiar like a good friend, pudding. So the first thing I made out of Alice Medrich's gorgeous Chocolate and the art of low fat desserts is this pastry cream or chocolate pudding which is rich and sinfully decadent although it has no cream, no butter or other naughty ingredients- and gets its rich chocolate flavor from Cocoa powder!

Tweet

Summer Magic Mango Pudding

Growing up every summer break us kids were packed off to visit both our grandmothers in Kerala.

My mom's mother Ammachi is a real force of nature, a true matriarch and the center of her large and growing family. She is 85 and by the grace of God, has survived cancer, a fall that left her needing a back surgery and various other ailments, only to emerge stronger every time. I treasure letters she wrote to me in her very neat handwriting, while I was in college where she would keep me up to date about what most of my 32 cousins were up to. Summers at her house meant endless games of hide and seek with my numerous cousins, going fishing, and trips to the "thottams" with my uncles who pointed out interesting plants and trees, and loading the back of the gypsy with pineapples.

My dad's mom Ammama is gentle and soft spoken, and summers with her meant following her around her small farm, feeding cows and petting calves on their wobbly legs. I aways get a smile on my face when I picture her in her spotless white sari, a line of white geese following her everywhere as they have since they were goslings, much like we kids did. She has an amazing green thumb and many plants and trees like mango, mongustan, coconut, nutmeg, gooseberry, papaya flourish under her care. For me the most vivid memory of summer is a house filled with the aroma of mangoes. Mangoes everywhere, under the stairs, in every corner, like plump green babies swaddled in straw, to ripen into the glorious, golden lusciousness that is a magic mango.

Mangoes are made even more magical in this wonderful 3 layered mango pudding.When the summer heat gets to you, I highly HIGHLY recommend that you eat a large spoonful of this cool and refreshing dessert.

The wonderful part about this pudding is that it is very easy to make but looks quite complex and you could also make this with almost any other fruit or even store bought fruit juice! I challenge you to make this with orange, raspberries, pineapple, strawberries..your imagination is the limit!

Ingredients

(Substitute milk with soy milk and omit the butter or use earth balance butter substitute instead to make this vegan and dairy-free)

• 10 Marie Biscuits / 5 graham crackers
• 1 1/4 stick unsalted butter (140 grams)
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon Cornstarch 
• 2 tbsp Custard Powder or Vanilla pudding powder
• 1 cup Mango puree or use other fruit juice like orange, strawberry etc. Store bought juice like Tropicana works too

Method

Layer 1: Biscuit/ Graham cracker layer

1. Crush the biscuits using a rolling pin until coarsely powdered (not too finely must have the texture of breadcrumbs). Put it in a glass microwaveable dish/ baking dish preferably glass so you can see the pretty layers! 
2. Mix well with  2 ounces of butter ( 4 tablespoons of butter or 1/2 a stick ) and 4 tablespoons milk until it becomes of mould able consistency.
3. Spread & pat well into a thin, even layer at the bottom of the pan
4. Microwave on high power and heating & baking combination or bake in oven on a slow flame for 5-10 minutes.

Layer 2: Custard Layer ( you could also use boxed vanilla pudding mix instead)

1. Heat 1 cup milk in a sauce pan.
2. Stir 1 heaped tablespoon custard powder & 1 heaped tablespoon cornflour with 1/4 cup water till smooth.
3. Add this to the hot milk stirring continuously over slow flame until it thickens.
4. Add 3 Ounces ( 3 heaped tablespoons) of sugar
5. Add 2 Ounces ( 1/2 a stick or 4 tablespoons) of butter
6. Mix well until butter & sugar has melted into the thickened milk.
7. Allow to cool, then spread over the biscuit layer and chill in refrigerator for about an hour or until it sets

Layer 3: Fruit Layer

1. Mix 1 tablespoon custard powder & 1 tablespoon cornflour well to 1 Cup Mango puree /other fruit juice.Sweeten according to taste depending on fruit used.
2. Bring to a boil stirring continuously. Add 1 ounce butter ( 1/4 stick or 2 tablespoons)
3. Cool and spread over custard layer once it has set.
4. Put your feet up, take a bite and wish that summer never ends!

Verdict

Ease:  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Taste: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

This dessert recipe has been in my family for years and was served at my parents wedding and other special occasions from baptisms to potlucks.It is a favourite with every generation. It is usually made with orange juice and I created this with mango puree instead to make it even more magical.

If you like this you should totally check out my other favourite cupcake & cake recipes here

All my dessert recipes are here

All my favourite Vegan recipes are here

I am sending a plate of my Magic Mango pudding to What's for lunch honey?'s monthly mingle "Special Sweet Treats" hosted at theapartmentkitchen.net

Tweet