Rice Milk

I wanted to have some cereal this morning, but I was out of plant milk. I don't like eating it dry so I got creative. I had some left over brown rice in the frig. I put about a cup of rice into the blender, added about 2 cups of water and blended until it looked smooth. I poured it through a sieve into a jar and had rice milk!

As I am my grandmother's granddaughter, I couldn't just throw away the thick rice goo that was left. I tasted it and it was very much like the Bob's Red Mill Creamy Brown Rice Farina (which I love). So that went on my cereal as well.

I am thinking that this creamy rice farina would make an excellent baby food. No chemicals, less processed than the purchased kind. And it took literally one minute to make from left over rice. Sometimes we just overthink things and make them more difficult than they need to be. Practicality is so simple.

Aquafaba Chocolate Mousse

I was looking for a replacement for eggs. I have recently been trying to be vegan. It's not as easy as it sounds. I have always been a vegetarian, but have relied on diary and eggs for many foods. I stumbled onto an article about egg replacements (https://www.plantbasednews.org/post/vegan-plantbased-amazing-vegan-substitutions-eggs). I try to stay away from processed foods, so wanted natural whole food options. This article provided both. I knew about bananas, chia seeds and flax seeds, but had never heard of aquafaba. It is simply the liquid from cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) with a fancy name. Actually it can be any bean, but I think they recommend chickpeas because they have the least amount of flavor. I wonder what would make someone think whipping bean juice would create meringue! My mind would never have gone there. 

Whipped Chickpea Water

This article claimed you could whip this liquid and have egg white results. I was very skeptical. But it worked! It almost tasted like a meringue. I was still skeptical that it could be made into anything.  So I tried this very easy Chocolate Mousse recipe. After it was very cold, it had the consistency and flavor of a really fluffy chocolate mousse. I was impressed. I am now ready to explore other aquafaba recipes. You can simply open a can of chickpeas and use that liquid, or cook your own from scratch and use the water from that. It will have the consistency of egg whites. Good luck, let me know how you go.

Chocolate Mousse

INGREDIENTS

the liquid of 1 can of chickpeas (around 125ml)

100 grams dark chocolate - melted

1-2 tsp of either stevia, or confectioner’s sugar/icing sugar*

a pinch of salt

METHOD

Chocolate – melt in a bowl placed over a pan of simmering water. Take the pan off the heat, remove the bowl from the pan, and allow it to cool down while you prepare the next stage.

Beat the liquid of your chickpeas, I used a Kitchenaid with a wire whisk for mine (or use a handheld whisk) – whisk until peaks form and you have created a meringue, then add the remaining ingredients except for the chocolate – whisk for another 15 seconds.

Now gently fold in the chocolate (make sure it has cooled down, don’t just chuck it in the middle of the whisk, pour or spoon gently) with a spatula, and very slightly stir it, just enough to incorporate it. Refrigerate for several hours to chill completely. 

*I blend raw cane sugar in the blender to make my own confectioner's sugar, just another small step to healthier.

Note: I froze some of it and it had the texture and taste of a Wendy's Chocolate Frosty (do they still have those?) 

I'll definitely make this again.

Aquafaba Chocolate Mousse