Valentine’s day = chocolate. Right?
That’s what we’re told our entire lives. From that first Valentine’s day in kindergarten, where everyone trades cards and the teachers hand out little chocolate hearts, to your first true celebration with the person that you love and you open that box of fancy truffles.
Chocolate just comes with the territory.
When you live in NYC, where there so many different restaurants to choose from, how can you decide on the perfect way to spend your Valentine’s day? We could plan an elaborate night out where we have a 10-course chef’s tasting menu. We could go see a show. We could have a romantic night on the town. We could go out dancing.
Or we could get take-out pizza from our most favorite restaurant (which has the best gluten-free pizza I have ever eaten), get a nice bottle of wine, snuggle on the couch and watch a movie.
I’ll give you one guess what we’re actually doing ;)
And what would a perfect Valentine’s meal be without a little chocolate? I think a silky-smooth, dairy-free chocolate mousse is in order, what about you?
If you’re a chocolate fan, you’re going to freak over this mousse. It’s so delicious, so rich, so creamy, and so dairy-free. Typical chocolate mousse is loaded with heavy cream and butter, but this time we’re going the coconut route – coconut milk and coconut oil. (And let’s just say…chocolate and coconut make the perfect pair)
I know some people shy away from using full-fat coconut milk in their recipes because it’s so high in fat. It’s true, and if you’re trying to watch your fat intake, I still believe that you can enjoy this recipe, just in moderation of course 
Coconut is a saturated fat, much like other animal fats like butter and lard. Saturated fats have gotten a bad rap in the health industry, as contributors to heart disease and increased cholesterol. For a while, coconut oil was lumped into this bunch and people stayed away from it, including coconut milk, butter and oil.
But recent studies and research have showed that plant-based fats, like coconut, may even have positive impacts on cholesterol and may not raise your risk of heart disease.
What makes coconut a truly shining star however is the other types of fat it has (MCTs or medium chain triglycerides) which are actually more easily burned in your body and are less likely to be turned into fat. So yeah, coconut is okay. And it’s super, super yummy.
And it makes this mousse sensational.
It’s dense – not a light and fluffy mouse – without being too rich, but it’s so decadent and perfect for your elegant Valentine’s celebration. Ready to delight your tastebuds?
p.s. I totally love you.
p.s.s. those little red things are goji berries – this is my first time ever buying them and they’re delicious! (if you want to try them, you can get 15% off using this link!)
Ingredients
- 3.5 oz 70% (or more) chocolate (make sure it's made with cocoa butter and not cow's butter)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2/3 cups full-fat coconut milk
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
- 1/2 cup coconut cream, the top of full-fat coconut milk that has been chilled for at least 24 hours
- 1 large strawberry
- 3 tablespoons cooked quinoa
- 2 teaspoon cocoa powder (you can get 15% using this link!!)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup / honey
- goji berries (also 15% off with this link!!)
- raw cocoa nibs
- coconut flakes
Instructions
- Break up / chop chocolate and add to a heat proof bowl. Add coconut oil and set aside.
- Bring coconut milk, salt and honey (if using) to a boil. Simmer for 1 minute.
- Pour over chocolate, let sit for two minutes, then whisk until chocolate is fully melted.
- Transfer to four small ramekins and refrigerate for at least two hours.
- When ready to serve, remove ramekins from fridge and let stand while you make the whipped cream and quinoa topping.
- For the whipped cream: Mash strawberries until smooth. Add strawberries and coconut cream to a bowl. Beat until stiff peeks form.
- For the quinoa topping: Toss quinoa and cocoa powder together in a small bowl.Add maple syrup and mix to combine.
- For serving, top each ramekin with some whipped cream, then a little of the quinoa topping.
- Enjoy!
Notes
We filled two ramekins, shared one and saved the other for later. If you're having a double date or other couples over, this recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, etc.