Pomegranate, another of my favorite - I look forward to every fall - fruits is the reason for the pink in these super easy to make and great tasting pomegranate coconut mousse.
The reason for a pink recipe post is for Jen of Beantown Baker's Power of Pink Challenge. She emailed me asking if I wanted to create a pink recipe for her 6th annual challenge and I was all for it. October is breast cancer awareness month, and its a something that hits close to home for Jen as well as myself having had family members and many friends and coworkers battle it. All, I might add, quite successfully too. So my post and recipe today is in honor of all the amazing women that courageously battle this disease.
I used to be an ultrasound tech. Well, technically I still am, I have my license I just haven't worked in a hospital or clinic since we moved almost two years ago. I have been staying at home with my kids and turning my blog here into a business I can work on from home. I miss some parts of working in ultrasound, but some I don't. I made some amazing friends through patients I helped take care of which was worth more than any paycheck to me. But I also saw a lot of heartache. And I mean A LOT. I worked mostly in high risk and general obstetrics. There were days that were amazing " Its a boy!" or " Surprise its twins!" But I also had to deliver the worst news possible. That just plain sucked. I also worked at a breast center and did breast ultrasound. I got to see a lot of cancer first hand, help with biopsies etc. There are some amazingly strong women in this world, especially when it came time to listen to the Dr. speak to them about findings on ultrasound as I scanned them. Never easy news to hear, especially when two people who are practically strangers are in the room with you. We did have a lot of repeat patients for follow ups etc and we really got to know them better and I loved being a part of their care team. This post is also in honor of all those women I helped take care of at that clinic.
When I first started out in ultrasound school I was working at a risk ob clinic and I met an amazing woman named Sue. She worked there and was really the first to teach me all about OB ultrasound. Sue is also a breast cancer survivor of almost 14 years now. When I first met her she told me she was a survivor because #1 tried to kill her so she got rid of them both before #2 had a chance to try. #3 and #4 were OK but needed to be replaced and now #5 and #6 were the best boobs she ever had. She has the BEST sense of humor. She kept her badge in her shirt and the magnetic strip in it would activate the doors in certain areas of the hospital so she joked that numbers 5 and 6 were magic and could open doors. Sue is so awesome, so funny, a great teacher and friend. So this post is also for Sue. ***EDIT*** After chatting with Sue today - she is now on #7 and 8 and proud of them. She decided to go bigger and better. And why not? Surving 14 years after being diagnosed for a deadly disease is pretty kick ass in my book - and Sue is just that, a kick ass woman.
For this Power of Pink Challenge I wanted to make a simple recipe, with clean healthy ingredients. Food I like to eat. I know I make a lot of decadent sweets for my blog, but I would say I personally eat an 80/20 " diet". 80% would be " paleo-ish" and the other 20 is treats and desserts because I believe in balance and the fact that I could never give up REAL cake, nor would I want to. Sometimes desserts can be too sweet so I opt for something like this mousse. Tart from the pomegranate, creamy from the coconut and lightly sweetened from honey. A perfect dessert. And, pink.
Pomegranate Coconut Mousse #PowerofPinkChallenge
Ingredients
- 2 C Pomegranate Juice, I used POM wonderful
- 3 teaspoon gelatin powder
- ¼ C Honey
- 2 C Coconut Milk, full fat organic
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ c pomegranate arils
- 4 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- In a medium bowl pour in ¼ c of the pomegranate juice and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let sit and bloom for a few minutes. While the gelatin is blooming, bring the remaining pomegranate juice and honey to a boil. Add the boiling juice mixture to the gelatin mixture in the bowl and mix well until the gelatin is dissolved. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan to bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Add in the coconut milk and vanilla extract and place in the fridge until it starts to thicken, about 30-45 minutes. You don’t want it too thick that it won’t pour. Once its starting to set up and thicken either mix well by hand or blend until it’s a fluffy and thicker. Pour into individual serving glasses or bowls and let set up until firm, about 4 hours. Before serving top with the coconut flakes and pomegranate arils. Serve chilled.
To find out more about Jen's of Beantown Baker's Power of Pink Challenge head to this post HERE.
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