Chocolate Mousse (egg-free)

 BEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE

A lot of good recipes also come with a good story. Here you go:

Once upon a time, I was pregnant (okay, once upon four times, I was pregnant, but this time was the last time). It was January and my baby was due on the 21st. I had been early for a few of my babies and I wasn't sure this one was going to make it that long. So I told her, "Baby, just make it till the double digits." Then, on January 9th, we went to dinner at our dear friends' house. She made this delicious spaghetti and I made this mousse. At about 5 the next morning, I started having contractions. Emma had managed to make it to the double digits of January, but just barely. I still blame/thank this mousse.

It is amazingly smooth, delicious, and easy. It is also egg-free, which is great if you're allergic or pregnant or just don't want eat raw eggs (which is the usual stuff mousse is made of, and yes you will be getting that type of a recipe later in the year, because I apparently love mousse kind of a lot).

This mousse has a bit of cream cheese, giving it the tinsiest bit of cheese-cake-ness, but not enough that people who don't like cheesecake will be bothered. My husband is not a huge cheesecake fan and, trust me, he was NOT bothered.

Chocolate Mousse (egg-free)
adapted from the Nordstrom Cookbook
Makes 6 small servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Wait time: 2 hours (kind of optional--it gets a little firmer, but truly, you can eat it right out of the bowl)

8 oz cream cheese
1 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C cocoa
1 1/2 C heavy cream, whipped (Note: You can do a bit less for a firmer mousse if you wish. It's basically diet mousse...)
Chocolate chips or shavings for garnish if you wish

First you can whip your cream if you're doing it yourself. Set aside.

Then in a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat well. Add cocoa and beat, taking care not to beat it so fast that the cocoa poofs up in a mushroom cloud of chocolate dust.

When it's all incorporated, stop beating and fold in half the whipped cream. When just a few wisps of white remain, fold in the rest completely.

Chill for 2 hours.