Vegan Berry Mousse

The Z Natural Foods Berry Mousse is a truly indulgent treat! It's the ideal Valentine's Day dessert, particularly for those who appreciate fine vegan and delicious 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 ZNF powders (see mixture directions below)  
3. The Cashew Cream made with the soaked banana and toasted cashews, which is the berry mix.

Aquafaba is easy to make, 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 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 (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 cup will be used in the and the ½ cup will be used in the cashew cream)
11. 1 cup dried or fresh raspberries

The Berry 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 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 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 .
• Do the 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 thoroughly.
• Refrigerate overnight.

Makes 10-12 servings