It was just Christmas then all of a sudden we are almost celebrating Valentine’s Day! I thought time flew so fast...so awesome if you were like me who can’t wait for Spring to come anytime now. I’m still a tropical girl by heart...I dream of warm weather all the time despite being in Canada for almost 25 years.

After that major snow storm called ‘SNOWMAGEDDON” we had yesterday, I decided to make some treats...I felt like it’s my reward as well as for the rest of Tdot... all that stressful driving, commuting, frozen extremities and shoveling snow between Thursday night and Saturday morning. While the rest of Canada may look upon us as "amateurs", it’s all a matter of perspective, right?

Here's wishing all of us a great weekend and a better week for Torontonians. However you want to be comforted, enjoy yourselves! Here’s two mousse recipes from "FreshnCrunchy’s kitchen"...two choices for weekend desserts or for Valentine’s Day . These are my versions of Raspberry Mousse and Chocolate Mousse. You may notice that I'm not big on the colour red but I love lilac and all the other shades of pink.

By the way, the pink card you see is from Angel and Austin. The dried roses used to be very bright orange when they were first given to me on my birthday by our friends Ricky and Becki.

Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients: (Preferably Organic)
1 cup raw hazelnuts
1/2 of a medium avocado
5 Tbsp. raw cacao powder
1/4 cup coconut nectar or pure maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla powder
1 Tbsp. chia
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 c. filtered water
1/4 cup chopped pistachios for toppings

Method:
Grind the hazelnuts and the chia in a Nutribullet (I used this), Magicbullet or a food processor until it turns into powder. Transfer into a high speed blender or you can just keep using the Nutribullet if you have one as it does the job very well. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until very smooth. Adjust the taste if necessary then transfer the mixture into a glass container and chill in the refrigerator for an hour or two. Top with pistachios and enjoy! This can also be used as an "icing" to your gluten-free muffins or pancakes.

Raspberry Mousse
Ingredients: (Preferably Organic)
2 cups raw cashews soaked for a minimum of 4 hours to overnight
1 cup raspberry
1 cup fresh Cara-cara orange juice ( or regular orange)
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
4 Tbsp. coconut nectar or pure maple syrup
1/3 cup melted coconut butter (or coconut oil)
1/2 tsp. organic vanilla powder
1/4 cup Goji berries (can be soaked with a bit of water if you prefer it soft and not crunchy)
Method:
Place all the ingredients in a high speed blender and process until very smooth. Adjust the taste if necessary. Transfer the mixture into a glass container and chill in the refrigerator for an hour or two. Top with Goji berries and enjoy!