Chocolate Mousse Tea Cups + A Better Way To Instagram and Live

Today I have a fun story about connections and community, about motivation and getting going, and about, of all things, surprise ingredients. 

Let me start with Instagram. Many are "over" the overly curated feeds and unrealistic images and want to stop mindless scrolling, because let's be honest, there are a lot more fruitful ways to spend our time (baking bread! reading! fulfilling our goals for 2019!) And while I'm right there with you in many ways and just did a big following purge myself where I stopped following accounts I found left me feeling frustrated, playing the comparison game, or just weren't worth my time, I still love the 'gram. This recipe is one reason why. 

One of my favourite local girls I have been following for a while, @fleurmaison, posted some chocolate mousse in her stories. I'm a big believer that the 'gram needs to be interactive to be worthwhile, and I've started following more local and shared affinity accounts lately to promote this on my end. Van is local and hilarious and a brilliant creative. As soon as I saw her story I wrote her right away asking for the recipe, and she promptly sent me the link. I have this happen often as well and I love it, but every time the DMs begin with apologies or shy introductions. "Are you willing to share the recipe?" and "I feel weird asking, but I love ___ in your home, and I'd love to know where you got it if you're open to sharing". My response is always the same, "SURE! HAPPY TOO! THANKS FOR SAYING HI!" Somewhere along the line I think we believed the lie that to admire someone is shameful, or to want to learn from someone else means you're somehow less than. Instagram can promote that if we let every following relationship be one sided or spend our days scrolling through accounts of people we'd never be friends with in real life. 

So first moral: Get interactive and don't be ashamed to reach out to the people you follow on the 'gram. Or unfollow those who you feel would respond offended or coldly. Next one is easier said than done I realize, but it's January and we're all looking to better ourselves, so bear with me. If you find you want to do something, DO IT. Make the things you want to do a priority, so long as it depends on you. Of course, my goal to go to the gym is thwarted when I have a sick child at home from school, or a work deadline, or a friend needs a hand. I'm not saying to make everything your top priority - there's only space for one of those! But so long as you're able, actually DO the things you want to. Set the alarm earlier, don't waste time (scrolling cold strangers on the 'gram!), and don't be afraid to fail. I've started baking sourdough bread this month but have yet to actually make a proper boule because it's actually quite difficult! But I'm trying. And when I saw Van's mousse in her stories, I thought "oh my goodness that seems easy enough and so good... I should make that sometime..." but then I remembered that I had a spare 15 minutes and could actually put down my phone and make it RIGHT THEN AND THERE. So I did, and here's my version of the altered recipe. 

Chocolate Tofu Mousse (serves 4, 15 minutes work, 2+ hours to chill before ready)

• In a bowl atop of a small pit of boiling water, melt 200 grams of your favourite chocolate. If you don't have a kitchen scale, the ikea chocolate bars are 100 grams, so use two. We had lots of leftover chocolate from Christmas, so I mixed a variety of Ikea and Laura Secord, dark and milk. 
• Place 250 grams (approx 1 cup) or soft tofu in the blender and blend.
• Add a few pinches of sea salt.
• Slowly pour in melted chocolate to blended tofu and blend until mixed and smooth
• Put mousse into the fridge for a couple of hours with plastic wrap pressed down on top of the mousse (to prevent a skin forming on top of your mousse)/
• Serve in tea cups, or small ramekins, top with more sea salt

I love that this recipe is vegan and sneaks in protein but still tastes completely delicious. I served it in tea cups for the kids after school this week and only told them afterwards that it was tofu. Despite my best attempts, they don't love tofu, but they were all for this mousse! 

Hope you'll try this recipe and the other ideas too. Let's make 2019 one where we connect more with others, toss distractions and temptations in favour of productivity and enrichment. And more chocolate mousse and pretty tea cups too - that's always a good idea!