[Recipe] Vegan Berry Mousse

Description

The Z Natural Foods Berry Mousse is quite the decadent treat!  It also makes the perfect Valentine's Day dessert -- especially for lovers of fine vegan and tasty vegetarian foods.

The three main components in this dairy-free, vegan mousse are:

1. Aquafaba -- the liquid from garbanzo beans
2. The Berry Blend -- a mixture of high quality ZNF powders (see mixture directions below)  
3. The Cashew Cream made with the soaked banana and toasted cashews, which is flavored by the berry mix.

Aquafaba is relatively easy to make, but most just buy a glass jar of garbanzo beans and then strain off the liquid. This liquid is aquafaba or bean water.  I like glass jars as they offer a cleaner tasting brine. Set aside the cooked garbanzo beans for some humuus as you will not be using the beans in this recipe.

Berry Mousse Ingredients and Directions

Ingredients:

1. 2 ¼  cup lightly toasted Cashews
2. 1 cup Berry mix powder (see directions below)
3. ½  cup of strawberry powder
4. 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
5. 2 tsp lemon juice powder
6. 1 ¼   cups aquafaba (The liquid from a can of Garbanzo beans)
7. 1 ½ cups soaked banana (very soft)
8. 1 cups of  banana water from soaking
9. ¾  cups of plain water
10. 1 plus ½  cup Coconut sugar (divided in two-1 cup will be used in the aquafaba and the ½ cup will be used in the cashew cream)
11. 1 cup freeze dried raspberries *

The Berry Blend

Similar to the Masala Blend (Curry) and the BBQ Vegetable Blend, this Berry Blend is a very versatile mixture that has a long shelf life (about 2 years if stored in a cool, dry, dark location).  

1. ⅛ cup Raspberry powder
2. ¼ cup Acai powder
3. ¼ cup Blueberry juice powder
4. ¼ cup Maqui berry powder
5. ⅛ cup Beet Root powder
6. ¼ cup Strawberry powder

Directions for the Berry Blend: Mix and sift these six powders together into one final mixture which now becomes ‘the berry blend’.  Use 1 cup for the Berry Mousse recipe. You will have about 1/2 cup leftover to use as you’d like as a delicious flavoring for yogurt, ice cream, muffins, cakes and anything else!

Directions for the Berry Mousse:

• In a separate bowl, beat the aquafaba with the vanilla extract with a hand-beater until stiff peaks form (see image above).
• Add 1 cup of the sugar gradually and 1 tbsp of lemon juice powder as you continue beating.
• If the peaks soften just continue beating until stiff peaks return as you cannot overbeat aquafaba.
• Do the aquafaba first as any fat on your equipment will prevent the solution to form stable peaks.
• Making the Cashew Cream is very simple. In a food processor blend the cashew, banana water and soaked banana until smooth. Once creamy, remove from processor and place in a bowl working with a hand beater; beat in the berry blend powder, strawberry powder, plain water and ½  cup of coconut sugar until light and fluffy.
• Gently fold in with a spatula the stiffly beaten agau faba thoroughly.
• Refrigerate overnight.

Makes 10-12 servings

* Note: Freeze dried raspberries can work folded into the mousse, chopped and crumbled dry for texture or reconstituted in a little raspberry liquor and spooned on top for an adult dessert.

About Denise Girard, ZNF Master Chef

Denise Girard is a classically trained chef and an award winning film writer. Certified by the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN) as a Holistic Health Practitioner (CHHP), Denise brings a unique set of training and skills to the food industry.

Being trained worldwide, she has been advised and educated by leading Medical and Naturopathic doctors in North America and Western Europe, including England, Switzerland, Italy and France, as well as, being trained using a wide array of the unique foods and spices of India. Denise also studied herbalism at the East West school of herbology in Santa Cruz and with Dr Schulze in Los Angeles, CA, gained extensive knowledge from Dr. Francesca Borella, Dr. Johanna Budwig of Germany, Dr. Schulze, and Bruce Lipton -- one of the fathers of the science of Epigenetics.

As the Master Chef at Z Natural Foods, Denise is dedicated to providing whole food nourishment. In fact, part of her daily routine her whole life, Denise sought high quality foods: Erewhon in Los Angeles, the markets of Paris, Swiss health food stores, Neal's Yard in London, going all the way back to her childhood in Philadelphia at the 9th St markets: these were always places of great joy. As an adult, she learned that buying the best quality food for yourself is, in fact, your best health insurance policy.

Throughout her world travels, Denise was particularly interested in traditional healing foods and has come to a very simple conclusion: Food is the game changer.

Denise is passionate about creating a new generation of superfood snacks (such as the ZNF exclusive Raspberry Quinoa Clusters, Fusion Bars and Vegan Fusion Bites). Denise leads Z Natural Foods’ efforts in transforming high quality, nutrient-dense, raw, whole food powders into nourishing, tasty ‘functional foods’ -- packed with bio-available building blocks to support true fueling and adaptation. She is driven to combine delicious solutions with balanced, healthy recipes.

To contact Denise about a special formula that matches your vision, you are invited to call 888-963-6637.