A recipe for…

This is one of the easiest and tastiest recipes I have made. The mousse is light and airy, while the dark chocolate makes this dessert rich and moreish AND there are only 3 ingredients involved in the making of this mousse!

This mousse uses the water that tinned chickpeas come in and is used as an egg substitute in many vegan dishes. It doens’t sound like a very appealing thing to use until you know a bit about what it does/doesn’t contain. It is rich in proteins, minerals and carbohydrates, and is low in sodium, sugar-free, low in calories, free from cholesterol, gluten and trans fats, so it is perfect for many dietary requirements.

Ingredients

1x 400g tin of chickpeas

2x 100g bar of dark chocolate (I use 85% cocoa chocolate)

100g caster sugar

Method

Firstly, open and drain the aquafaba (chickpea water) into a bowl. You can keep the chickpeas and use them in other recipes.

Start whisking the aquafaba with an electric whisk. It can take a while (sometimes up to 10 minutes) for the aquafaba to create stiff white, merangue-like peaks, so be patient. It is worth noting that, unlike egg whites, aquafaba can’t be over-whisked, so don’t worry too much about how long it is whisked for.

Once stiff peaks have formed from the aquafaba, add in the caster sugar slowly whilst still whisking. Once all the sugar has been added, put it to one side.

The next step is to melt the chocolate. You will need a saucepan and another bowl. Fill the saucepan with about 1/3 water and place the bowl into it so that it floats in the water and place the pan on the hob.

Break up your chocolate into small pieces and add it to the bowl in the saucepan. As the water heats, the chocolate will start to melt. Use a spatula to stir the chocolate, ensuring that all of it has reached a liquid consistency.

Once melted, start whisking your aquafaba and add small amounts of the liquid chocolate to the aquafaba. The chocolate must be added slowly so that the air whisked into the aquafaba stays. Adding the chocolate too quickly will reduce the volume of the aquafaba, and the air will be lost.

Once the chocolate and aquafaba have been combined, spoon the mixture, gently, into small remekin dishes or small bowls. Gently tap the ramekins/bowls onto a hard surface to flatten out the mixture. Place in the fridge to set for around half an hour.

Once chilled and ready to serve, add a couple of fresh raspberries and mint leaves, sprinkle with cocoa powder or enjoy as it is.

Christmas Dinner Menu Ideas

blur bokeh candle christmas decoration
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Christmas dinner is usually one of the highlights of the day, family and friends gathered around the table and enjoying a lovingly cooked meal together.  This year I’m spending Christmas with my family at my parents house so I won’t need to plan a menu so, as it is something I really like doing (especially the starter and dessert) I’m going to share some suggestions with you!

Starters

Starters should be light and small and not take too long to consume.  They, for me should not be overly complicated or take to long to prepare and, fo me, not cause too much mess and clean up time!  Here are a few suggestions…

Prawn Cocktail – You can make the Marie-Rose sauce in advance and stir in the prawns and assemble the cocktail just before serving.

Wild Mushroom Tartlet – I have tried this recipe here in the past, its pretty quick and easy to prepare and cook!

Smoked Salmon Terrines – These can be made in advance (maybe the day before) and store them in the fridge until its time to plate up.

Vegan Quiches – another thing you can make in advance and just serve on the day.

Main Course

The main course is usually a traditional roast dinner with all the trimmings – think roast root veg and potatoes, peas, carrots, mashed potato, meat of some description (usually turkey), I always make a cauliflower cheese and yorkshire puds as well as lashings of gravy.  I don’t eat meat so have used a veggie option instead (like a Quorn roast), but if you fancy something a bit different to the traditional Christmas Dinner how about serving the following…

Spiced Roast Side of Salmon you could serve it with spiced roast potatoes and green veg

Spiced Nut Roast

Vegan Wellington

Vegetarian Nutty Pithivier

The last 3 suggestions can be served with the traditional veg that you would cook normally for your Christmas main.

Dessert

After eating so much food I always like to finish with a dessert that isn’t too heavy on the stomach…heres a few ideas for you to try…

Lemon Mousse – this is really fluffy and light and the citrus zing really wakes the taste buds.

Vegan Chilli Chocolate Raspberry Cups

Toffee Pecan Roulade

Winter Fruit Salad

What is on your Christmas Menu this year?