Happy New Year!!

It’s the first day of a new year and it seems fitting to start 2018 by finally launching my first blog post.  Last year was filled with many health changes, for the better, for me so why not let 2018 be a year of sharing.  Sharing my favorite gut healing recipes.  I’ve learned so much over the past year and the biggest lesson has been learning to love my favorite foods, but in a different way.  No longer can I eat a piece of chocolate cake with reckless abandon BUT I can find a way to makeover my favorite recipes to fit into my new, and healthier, life.

Speaking of chocolate.  I haven’t mentioned it yet but I LOVE chocolate.  Like really love chocolate.  Back when I started down the road to gut health I looked at what was off the table and I thought my life was over.  I absolutely love food and I felt like I had to give up so much of who I was in order to make myself well.  No more bread.  No more cookies.  No more fried chicken and mashed potatoes?! (Southern girl here)

But write this down.  I was WRONG! So wrong.  Life went on and it’s different now but still delicious.  And here’s a shining example of some of that deliciousness.  Feast your eyes on this gut friendly chocolate mousse.

I can hear you now.  NO WAY that’s okay.  But it is.

Now, I must share that the current plan I am following is called the Plant Paradox by Dr Steven Gundry. In his book, Dr Gundry discusses in detail what he believes to be the cause of many autoimmune diseases and leaky gut.  In his opinion, lectins (highly toxic, plant-based proteins) are the root cause of the serious health conditions so many people suffer from today.

Ever heard of gluten? Unless you’ve lived under a rock for the past few years I’m betting you have.  Well gluten is just one of many varieties of lectins.  These proteins are very toxic and are found in many foods that most of us regard as healthy.  His theory is that by eliminating these proteins and avoiding high lectin foods you can begin to calm your immune system and hence heal your gut.

I admit, it sounded far fetched to me too when I began reading his book.  I had been a strict GAPS diet follower for many months but after 6 months my healing progress on GAPS had stalled so I gave Dr. Gundry a shot.  I’m glad I did!! After his three day cleanse I not only lost 4 pounds but my energy level skyrocketed.  I’m definitely a believer now.

One of the foods on Dr. Gundry’s “yes” list is dark chocolate (in moderation).   While I absolutely love dark chocolate by itself I was on a mission to find a recipe elevating my dark chocolate a little more for the holidays.  Then it hit me.  Chocolate mousse!!! I began dreaming of fluffy dark chocolate clouds.

Off I went to make my chocolate cloud dreams come true.  I had three requirements.

(1)  Minimal ingredients
(2)  Easy to make
(3)  Be delicious

My first step was to bloom my gelatin.  I love the Great Lakes brand because it’s tasteless and foolproof.  This recipe has gelatin in it to assist with a firmer mousse texture.  I cannot attest to not using it but I’m listing it as option for anyone who is vegetarian.  I’m pretty sure you won’t spit it out.

I gathered 12 oz (give or take) of dark chocolate (Dr. Gundry requires 70% or darker).  I chose Chocolove this time because it was on sale.

I chopped my chocolate into small chunks.

Are you drooling yet? I am!

After chopping all of the chocolate I placed it into a glass bowl and set it aside while I warmed my milk.

Dr. Gundry recommends using A2 milk if you choose to use milk.  I will go into the details of what A2 milk is and why it’s acceptable in another post but if you can’t wait I recommend reading this article on Dr. Gundry’s site that explains why.

http://gundrymd.com/reduce-lectins-diet/

I heated my milk to a simmer (don’t boil it) and when it was done I mixed in my gelatin and then I poured it over my chocolate to melt it.

I stirred the warm milk into the chocolate until all of the chocolate pieces were melted.  Then I moved onto the whipped cream.  To create chocolate mousse you need whipped cream to create the fluffiness.

I used a very cold bowl and a stand mixer (you can also use a hand mixer) to make sure my cream stayed nice and cool.  I whipped the cream on medium-high speed until it resembled whipped cream and soft peaks formed.

After my whipped cream was made I began folding it into the chocolate mixture.

(Try not to lick the screen!) 

I don’t have a final shot of mixing because I was running out of daylight but I mixed until all of the whipped cream was fully incorporated.

After chilling overnight I decided that since it was the holidays I would put some in a piping bag and make it a little fancier.  What do you think?  Looks delicious doesn’t it?  It WAS!

I hope you decide to try this out and if you do, please leave me a comment on what you thought.

(I’m new to recipe creations so bear with me as this is ugly for now)

Chocolate Mousse

Serves: 8-10Ingredients