Vegan Chocolate Mousse - Delicious

Vegan Chocolate Mousse? I know - it sounds disgusting. I couldn't believe it when my friend told me that the creamy, rich chocolate mousse I had at her house this weekend was made from tofu and soy milk. This is the best chocolate mousse I've had and I'm very picky when it comes to any kind of chocolate dessert. It's also a healthy alternative to the fat-loaded traditional mousse recipe.

Enjoy. Please pass along to vegan friends and family. It's a "must" dessert recipe!

Amaretto-Spiked Vegan Chocolate Mousse Recipe

1/2 cup organic chocolate soy milk (for this recipe I like to use Vitasoy Rich Chocolate Soy Milk)

9 or 10 ounce bag of semisweet vegan chocolate chips (I've had good success with Tropical Source or Sunspire Brand all-natural brands, NOT carob chips)

12 ounces silken tofu

1/4 cup Amaretto or almond-flavored liquor

1/4 teaspoon natural pure almond extract (I use the Flavorganics Almond Extract for this recipe)

Pour the chocolate milk into a small pot and bring to a simmer. Remove the milk from heat and let cool a bit while you melt down the chocolate chips. You can melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler or if you are like me, and don't own a double-boiler, you can cobble one together using a tiny saucepan set under a larger mixing bowl. Fill the tiny saucepan with an inch or two of water and bring barely to a simmer - place the big mixing bowl with the chocolate chips on top of the tiny saucepan and let the heat come up and gently warm the chips while you stir occasionally until completely melted. Remove from heat.

Add the soy milk and silken tofu to the melted chocolate chips. Process with a hand or regular blender until completely smooth. Stir in the Amaretto and almond extract. Taste and adjust for flavor, adding a bit more extract if needed.

Chill in the big bowl (or in individual bowls) for at least 1 1/2 hours, the longer the better. The pudding will set up nicely as it cools.

Makes 6 decadent servings.

How a Foodie Uses Everything in Her Kitchen For a Week's Worth of Meals

I challenged myself to use all the food I had in the kitchen (before hitting the store) for meals this past week. With the cost of food and just the general state of the economy, I've been looking for ways to make food stretch. I also realized you can make delicious food (and I even baked this week) even with limited ingredients (and healthy food as well). Here are a few sample dishes from my dinner menu from this past week.

• My Version of Shepherd's Pie (a healthier version made from ground turkey with green beans, carrots and sauteed onion - use corn starch instead of flour when making your gravy).
  
• Lemon Scampi with Pasta (those bags of frozen shrimp from Trader Joe's come in handy - I added freshly squeezed lemon juice along with the garlic, olive oil and wine)
• Pumpkin Spice Cake and brownies (both were lower fat versions and tasted delicious!)

I'm marinating a tri tip roast with potatoes for tonight's dinner - the leftover meat can be made into stroganoff, stir fry or fajitas.

If I could actually use all the food in my kitchen and not go to the store once last week, then you can do it as well. Just remember to plan ahead and think of creative ways to utilize leftovers!

The Scoop on Squash-Based Soups

I made delicious butternut squash soup this past week. It was the perfect compliment with this dreary northern California weather we've had lately. I told my chef friend about my soup masterpiece. After I told him about my creation (I was quite proud that I didn't use a recipe), he gave me a great tip for the next time I make butternut squash soup: add two tablespoons butter to the soup and let it melt into the soup (don't melt it before you add it to the soup). He says it gives it a silky, smooth texture. I knew there was a reason why I have chefs at my disposal. He also adds pureed potatoes to his soup (which I need to try next time).

My secret is in the spices - a dash of nutmeg and hints of cinnamon, allspice, ginger and just a hint of cloves (you can also throw in a dash of pumpkin pie spice which basically combines the spices above).

If you want a healthy creamy soup to warm up your palate during the rainy (or snowy) days, try your culinary hand at butternut squash soup.

My Ode to Dark Chocolate - How I Love You So

Chocolate has gotten a bad rap over the years, but it's starting to win favor again in the way of dark chocolate. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and if you want to give a "heart healthy" gift this year, reach for the dark chocolate candy instead of the milk chocolate. Dark chocolate is good for the heart and one piece a day isn't a bad thing (although, my dark chocolate Kisses have somehow mysteriously disappeared over the past week...hmmm).

So how do I like my dark chocolate? The question should be: how do I NOT like my dark chocolate? One of my favorite dark chocolate treats is a dark chocolate mocha that I found at a local coffee house (the iced version tastes delicious too).

I know that some of you milk chocolate fans can't bear to part ways for its more bitter predecessor. Some of my favorite dark chocolate delicacies include: Lindt's dark chocolate truffles and Hershey's special dark chocolate. Even the Mars Company has jumped on the bandwagon (I love their peanut dark chocolate M&Ms) See's Candies also makes an amazing dark chocolate chip truffle (you only need one to satisfy your dark chocolate craving).

Like a fine wine, dark chocolate is definitely an acquired taste and it's definitely a taste that has acquired me.