Caramel Chocolate Mousse (Paleo & Vegan)

I have days when I’m hard on myself.
You know those days, when you feel that every decision you've been making is kinda bad.
I didn’t work out enough or I forgot the one item at the grocery store that I needed to buy or I ate way too much.
I usually start blaming myself...but then I remember that I'm so good all the time.
I eat healthy, I train like a mad dog, I don't drink, I don't smoke, I seldom stay out late. And I've been like this for almost my whole adult life.
I definitely need to give myself credit for what I do. And when I have one of those bad days, I should be more like "Whatever man, let it go!"


One of my yoga teacher always says: "Please try every day to have 15 minutes of compassionate thoughts by yourself."
I have narrowed it down to one minute (and not every day) because 15 drives me literally mental.
She's 100% right though, it is very helpful.
Self-compassion makes good, healthy sense.
Go easy on yourself, many researches suggest, and you'll be happier and healthier too.
Especially in our high-speed society, that focuses more on the "doing" than the "being", self-compassion should be more practiced.
I don't mean to sound like a tree-hugger or something.
What I'm saying is to take a deep breath, smile, ease from anger to compassion and be grateful for what you are getting in your life.

I have bad days, and then I have days when I make a recipe like this, and I’m like SCORE!
And all of a sudden, the sun is shining, birds are singing, insects are buzzing, flowers are blooming and I feel like a superhero.
Don’t believe a bowl of paleo & vegan caramel chocolate mousse can do it?
Make it and you will see.
The mousse is thick, fudgy, creamy and luscious. If you had a bad day, it will make you happy, guaranteed. And since happiness is a key to longevity, fire up that stove, you got some cooking to do.
And while you’re cooking, think about how awesome you are and be ever grateful for that.

Caramel Chocolate Mousse (Paleo & Vegan)                                                     Print this recipe!

Ingredients
Serves 8

½ cup / 5 oz / 140 gr caramel sauce (make your own paleo and vegan caramel sauce with this recipe)
1 cup coconut cream (scraped from the top of 2 cans of BPA-free full fat coconut milk chilled overnight)
4 oz / 113 gr +70% dark chocolate, chopped (I used Dagoba)
Pinch of fine grain sea salt

Directions

Open the cans of chilled coconut milk and scoop the thick coconut cream on top (trying to keep as much liquid out the cream as possible) into a large bowl of a heavy-duty mixer or with an electric hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Add a pinch of salt and beat coconut cream, starting on low, increasing incrementally to medium speed unto soft peaks become visible, about 5 minutes.
Pop the bowl in the fridge to keep chilled.
Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the boiling water.
Stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is completely melted. Use pot holders to remove the bowl from over the boiling water.
Using a whisk, stir in the caramel sauce and work up some elbow grease. You want to create a glossy and smooth emulsion.
Scoop about ⅓ cup of the coconut whipped cream into the bowl and gently fold in using a spatula. This will help lighten the dense chocolate caramel sauce.
Gently fold in the remaining coconut whipped cream.
Divide between ramekins (glasses or cups) and refrigerate for a couple of hours (or overnight) to allow to set up.
Serve sprinkled with shaved chocolate or chopped cocoa nibs.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 235 calories, 24 grams of fat, 17 grams of carbs and 2.9 grams of protein.