Vegan Chocolate Mousse

This week, I realized two equally important things.  First, it was exactly one year ago that I started this blog.  Second, I have not once in that entire year done a tofu recipe.

Now, I've used tofu in some recipes.  It's been limited to silken tofu as an egg replacer in baked goods.  But I haven't really made a tofu recipe.  Considering this is a vegetarian blog, and the vast majority of the recipes on it are vegan, I feel like this isn't the norm.  At the same time, though, I like the idea that I can showcase delicious vegan and vegetarian foods that aren't the often disgusted-and-dismissed-by-meat-eaters tofu.

For my one year blogiversary (because apparently that's what we call these occasions?), I wanted to do something decadent, something indulgent - and preferably a dessert.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good tofu steak, but it just wasn't right for this week.

Instead, I decided to make a vegan chocolate mousse.  It's easy, it's decadent, it's super rich, and it's made of tofu.  Yes, you read that right - tofu.  Silken tofu blended with your favorite non-dairy milk, a little sweetener, and lots of dark chocolate makes a dense, rich, and absolutely delicious vegan dessert.  Trust me, this is a dessert worthy of any celebration.

Doesn't look like tofu, does it?

***UPDATE:  In addition to celebrating one year of The Inventive Vegetarian, I'm also celebrating the birth of my baby niece early this morning :-)

Avocado, Beet, and Barely Pickled Onion Sandwich

Wow, it’s already the middle of July.  When did that happen?

So far, my July has been one week of adjusting to a new ridiculously early schedule (yay for summer classes!), followed by a week of running around Philadelphia trying to find an apartment.  Now my schedule is adjusted (I’m totally used to the 6 am wake ups and the 8 am class), and an apartment is found (I cannot wait to move in!), and as I took a breath to relax this weekend I realized I had not posted a single thing during this time.

My bad.

The good news is, I made this amazingly delicious sandwich while totally procrastinating when I should have been studying for a test.  This sandwich is tangy, with tons of vinegar flavor, yet mellow, with avocado smoothing everything out.  Oh, and then there are roasted beets in the middle of all that.  I think some of my best work comes out of procrastination.

Now, when I roast beets with other roasted root vegetables, I like to peel the beets before roasting them so that I can infuse them with delicious hints of garlic and rosemary.  But when I’m making beets just to be beets, I like to simply wash them, trim them, and throw them in a bundle of tinfoil with some olive oil.  45 minutes later they’re done, and as soon as they’ve cooled down enough to handle, the skin peels off with very little effort (you don’t even need to use a peeler).  Plus, the packages of tinfoil are a way to keep beets to a minimum mess, and they can be thrown into an oven or onto a grill.

Here, I sort of pickled the red onion with some red wine vinegar, then quickly tossed the beets with the same vinegar to make them pop.  Then I layered the onions and the beets on a slice of toasted bread and topped it off with mellow avocado.  The combination works beautifully, the individual ingredients store well, and the result is a delicious, light, and simple sandwich for any time of day.