Hi, Dear Friend!
What would you think about whipping a healthy, super-easy, vegan (yes, vegan!) but at the same time fat-free and super-low-calorie mousse today? And although I have to disclaim it (again): I do not believe that vegan, paleo or any other restrictive diet is good for you! (The products you choose and their amounts is what makes a meal healthy or unhealthy.) 🙂
But I since I believe that this mousse is pretty wholesome for it’s super-low calorie content, I thought that sharing a recipe with you is definitely the must!
Honestly, there are quite a few memories tied to making and enjoying this mousse that makes it kind of very special for me…
First of all, this is an old Russian recipe. And since I was born in Russia, I know quite a few Russian recipes that I’ll be sharing with you because I hope that it’ll be fun for you to discover some new interesting treats ideas… 🙂
This recipe makes me so excited to share with you because it’s just SO SIMPLE! What’re the secret ingredients? Well, the main ingredient is… apples. Yes, the common, super-healthy apples!
…But there is one beautiful thing about the apples that makes them a perfect base for many healthy desserts.
Apples are very rich in pectin, a natural emulsifier. When you cook your apples, the pectin emulsifies them so that when you puree and whip them up, they turn into a beautiful cloudy mousse.
Another two ingredients that you’ll also need for this mousse are the cream of wheat and some sugar (very little sugar!). The cream of wheat sucks in all the moisture from the apples and emulsifies them even more so that when the mousse is whipped it holds its cloudy texture. Additionally it gives the mousse a nutritional boost since our diets need some healthy grains, right?
…I haven’t made this mousse in a while. Why? Because as a kid I used to be allergic to many different things (including the dairy) and my mom used to make this mousse as an allergy-friendly treat for me all the time. When I grew out of my allergies I wanted to try all kinds of other things. And so I haven’t come back to eating this mousse for a while…
Until my son was born and I was told that he too, just like me, is allergic to both dairy and eggs! So when I was feeding him I had to stick to the same diet as I used to be on as a kid! (My precious Aric, thank goodness, grew out of all his allergies now!)
But guess what? This mousse was a lifesaver for a dessert-hungry me!
The reason I decided to make this mousse today was a total “apple overload” in my kitchen… But when I made it, I was just SO amazed by how EASY it was to whip it up!
…And when I eat it (for breakfast as I do with most of my sweet treats!) I was also SO amazed by how great it tasted and by how good it made me feel! Light, airy, nutritious, and so perfect for LA’s summer heat! Yuuummmm!
🙂
- 4 apples
- 1/2 cup blueberries, strawberries, currants or any other berries of choice*
- 1/2 cup cream of wheat*
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp pectin
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Peel the apples and cut them into chunks.
- Add the apple pieces, the berries, a couple of tbsp of water and the pectin to a large saucepan and cook over a medium heat until the apples are very soft.
- Add the sugar, stir and cook for a few minutes until the sugar dissolves. As you continue stirring add the cream of wheat. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until the mixture is very thick, stirring constantly.
- Take the pot off the heat, cover and let it cool. It's best if you cool it in the fridge after it's cooled on the countertop.
- Put the cooled down mixture into a blender and blend until it's smooth and pureed. Add the vanilla and whip the mixture up. Keep whipping it for 2-3 minutes until the mousse becomes very light and fluffy.
- Start eating out of the mixing bowl if you care really impatient 🙂 Or serve it with some berries and some mint for a pop of color...
*You can make a "Just Apples" Mousse and omit the berries (I added some berries because I had an excess of them in my kitchen. You can also use frozen berries, since the berries give the mousse it's beautiful pinkish color). If you decide to do that, just use 5 apples instead of 4 apples and the berries.
*I used the whole-wheat variety aka whole wheat farina.
Delicious! I do have a question for you. It might be silly, but do you mean 1/2 a cup of prepared cream of wheat or a serving of uncooked cream of wheat? I added it uncooked to the fruit mixture and let it cook at that time, but I wasn’t certain of which way was correct. Regardless, I love this recipe. It’s so light and refreshing. Thank you so much for sharing this and all your other recipes!