Yesterday morning was one of experimentation in my kitchen: I just love playing and creating a mess when I’m on my own, literally turning my kitchen into a bomb site, which then all magically disappears before anyone gets home! The boys were at football, I had things to make for a friend coming to lunch today, and things I wanted to try out….including Jess’s sweet potato spoon bread.
It’s basically a kind of soufflé/bake really and Jess’s looked so tasty that I had saved it. Mashed roasted sweet potato is mixed with a milk and polenta mixture, egg yolks and then whisked egg whites, before baking.
I made a few changes to the recipe for my tastes and choices, including halving everything as I was only making it for me; I replaced the butter with coconut oil; I used almond milk; I left out the sugar; and used gluten free baking powder. This rendered the dish gluten free, sugar free and dairy free and still VERY tasty!!!!
All I can say is: yum yum yum!! It took all my strength not to eat it straight from the oven and allow it to cool! The smell and taste was lovely. And remained so today when I reheated it 🙂
At the same time I decided to test out something else, something pretty amazing that I keep seeing…look at this:
A bowl of whisked egg whites, yes?
No.
This, is whisked chickpea juice, which whisks up and becomes exactly the same as eggs whites! Which can be used exactly the same as egg whites!!! And it’s just the juice that you usually pour away when you drain a tin of chickpeas!!!!! AMAZING!!!!!
This is particularly amazing for vegans, and I am not vegan, I do eat eggs and dairy, but having seen Laura’s post and her amazing vegan meringues and then Kellie’s mousse on Instagram, I just had to give this a go. The juice from one tin whisks up to fill a big bowl, it really grows in volume, it takes a while to stiffen but once it does, you literally can’t tell the difference between it and real egg whites. The flavours of the chickpeas isn’t particularly strong and you can easily cover it with why we you add to it anyway. I added tahini out of interest and created a tahini mousse, but you can use it with any standard mousse recipe, or make meringues like Laura did. I basically just folded tahini into the whisked up juice and left it to set it small bowls.
What a cool thing, hey? Who even ever thought of trying it??
As you may imagine, it’s a rich flavour, you can’t eat much of it, and very very filling, but it is absolutely a light mousse and was very tasty with a slice of sweet potato bake. I ate this on its own, as above, as a snack, and the next day alongside lunch of roasted cauliflower and chickpeas; sweetness comes from the sweet potato, but really it remains a savoury dish, the tahini balancing out the sweetness. You could turn either into whatever course you wanted to though really..I don’t like sweet things remember, so I will always convert something to a savoury version.
So, those are just two of the many things that came out of my kitchen fun yesterday, there’s more to come very soon..:)
I hope you had a great weekend and a great week ahead xx see you on Wednesday for a super colourful guest post for this week’s ‘What would you feed me?’
This is simply AMAZING! I am here looking at your post and feeling a sharp pain from all the liquid I tossed down the drain in my chickpea cans…
I can hardly wait to try this! You know, I have a pumpkin soufflee recipe bookmarked somewhere, probably from one of my Paleo cookbooks or sites – so we are on the same wavelength on that too…
this mousse is truly a strike of genius.. who would imagine????
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I know!!!! I thought the same about all the liquid, and about the who/why/how????
It would be interesting to know how it behaves in your pumpkin pie. It definitely solves any issue of wasted egg yolks!
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I’ve seen folks whipping up chickpea juice. That is just amazing how people come up with these techniques. Your sweet potato bake looks amazing! I can see why it was hard not diving into right out of the onion.
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Thank you Julie 🙂 the smell was just so good!!!
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This is a dessert right? So I can have it just with the regular cream?? Looks yummy!
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Not necessarily a dessert, it’s savoury really, but I guess it would depend how you dressed it? You could definitely add spices and extra sweetness if you wanted…and your cream 😉 x
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Oh so I can use sour cream instead then. I’ve never tried sweet potatoes you know, but I imagine they must be really good?
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Yes, there are! You must try them!!! I never eat white potatoes any more, always sweet potatoes 🙂
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That looks like a SUPERB first course, Elaine – or maybe a luncheon main meal ! – and what a combination of flavours !
I do hope you’re preparing a book of your innovative recipes; because I can’t think but that it will sell like mad – providing you have the right publisher …
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Thank you 🙂 I think it’s got a use in any course really?!
My only aim right now is to keep posting on this here blog, the book idea comes and goes and for now has definitely gone…!
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You need a manager. Unfortunately, it would have to be someone physically near you; or I would willingly take it on.
😀
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Aw, thank you xxx I just don’t think I want to do it enough right now, plus there’s so my other people doing it, who needs another healthy cookbook from me???
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Whatever floats yer boat, MSPF ! 🙂
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I’m so glad you liked the sweet potato bake Elaine- it’s one of my new favorite side dishes and yours turned out beautifully. And I had no IDEA you could do that to chickpea juice. That’s amazing, thanks for the tip 😀
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Thank you so much Jess xx
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OMG Elaine! This is absolutely fantastic ❤️.
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😀😀😀😀
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Chickpea juice! I JUST noticed this in another recipe I read last week. I had never heard of it, but now I’m determined to try! Thanks for the delicious post!
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Let me know how it goes – thank you xx
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I like that the sweet potato bake is sugar-free so we can taste the natural sweetness and flavour of the sweet potato. And it’s just amazing that chickpea juice can be whipped up! Wow, I really have to give this a try. Thanks for sharing!! 🙂
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It’s my pleasure, I’m so glad you like it 🙂
Yes, sweet potato is more than sweet enough for me, I don’t think it needs any enhancement, but that’s my tastes 🙂
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You made the vegan mousse with chickpea juice too! I’m getting more and more intrigued…Need to try it myself. Looks fantastic!
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Do try it, it’s amazing!!!
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wow! what a guilt free and delicious dessert! I love sweet potatoes and sometimes I just have a baked sweet potato to satisfy my dessert cravings! Your baked version looks amazing! And love the idea of a whipping cream using chickpea juice! Now who would have thought of that! Lovely!
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Thank you so much, lovely Indu 🙂 I hope you are well x
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Looks flavorful:-)
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😀
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Learn something new every day. Love the idea that chickpea juice whips up!
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I know 🙂
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The sweet potato bake looks fantastic Elaine – Jess does have some pretty special recipes and I love how you have adapted it for you. I saw the chickpea juice thing last week – can’t remember where now – glad that you have given it a go. I’m not sure I would like the flavour though as I find the juice a bit tinny tasting – if it was spiced up, I guess I wouldn’t taste the tin…I am wondering what the science is behind it. Whites are basically protein so I wonder if there is a lot of protein in the juice…hmmm…..
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Thank you, the sweet potato bake was perfect for me 🙂
As far as the juice goes, the more I whisked it, the less taste it had, in the end I think the chickpea taste virtually disappeared, so any additional flavours totally wipe it out. I wondered about the science element, the juice can be quite glutinous sometimes?? Does it need protein to achieve that whisked finish?
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This sounds amazing!
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Whaaaaaaaaaaat!!! You can do that with canned chickpea liquid??? Cant wait to try this out! You are awesome Elaine!!
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Thank you very much – it wasn’t my idea though 🙂
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The sweet potato looks really delicious and the whisked chickpea juice Elaine is new to me 🙂 Have a great day 😉
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Thank you, and you xx
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Wow Elaine – I’m impressed, a clever way to turn sweet potato into cake and a genius use
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…..of chickpea juice. I’ll be giving this a go soon! Laura
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Thank you 🙂
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The chickpea thing is an amazing trick, sin’t it. SO many applications. I made a few of the chocolate mousses and although one was left in the fridge for a few days (it was hidden, or would have been eaten sooner by hubby!) it was perfectly fine and still the same glorious texture despite my neglect. Love your savoury take on this idea. And the sweet potato cake too. We make something similar for Thanksgiving and it is almost too good! Sweet potatoes are fab, aren’t they?
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They are! If you remember, I made your sweet potato dish too? This is very similar, just without the topping and spices really.
I still have some of the tahini mousse in the fridge too and it remains wonderfully aerated 🙂
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…Oh wow! A tahini mousse! What a fantastic idea!! I tried to use the aquafaba (just the liquid) as egg replacer, it worked well with cakes not with sablés though…But maybe it’s just a problem of quantities…The sweet potato bread has a really tasty look!! Thanks for the link Elaine, actually I didn’t see it, this week I am overloaded with work and time just flies!! I’m so sorry, thanks for the FB “alert”! 😉 xxx
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No worries 🙂 I’m glad you like it xx I hope you’ve got some sunshine too?
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Yes! Bright sunny days…a sort of early summer! 🙂 xxxx
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Same here! 🙂
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Hope it’s going to last!! XxX
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Wow how would ever have thought of doing this!!! You are just so amazing!! It looks really good especially with that sweet potato bake xxx
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Thank you 🙂 I can’t take credit for the idea though xx
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Wow, guilt-free indeed! What a wonderful contribution in your dessert department. Chickpea juice? Who’d have thought eh? Such an informative post.
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I know?! So interesting 🙂
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I am late reading this sorry, so I read it right to the part where you mention that is’chickpea juice and had to go back and look and read again. Blown away by not just the wonderful sweet potato bake but that incredible mousse. How would anyone even think to whip it, amazing. Wonder if you can brown it like meringue or if it would melt. This is a totally awesome and very cool idea.
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I know!! If you click on the link to Laura’s post at the beginning of the mousse part of the post, she made meringues with it..
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Elaine, You have come up with a very good thing here. I sure would like to give it a try. Yum!
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Thank you 🙂
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