Carob comes from ancient Greeks who were the first to grow carob trees. Today however, you’ll find these trees all over the world. What’s unique about this tree is that it actually has a sex and it takes a male and female tree to produce the carob pods. A single male tree can pollinate up to 20 female trees (he sure gets around.. haha). After pollinated, it takes 6-7 years for the tree to produce pods.
I use Bob’s Red Mill carob powder in my vegan, plant-based recipes and I absolutely love it for sweeter treats and desserts. Using this powder allows you to still enjoy sweet treats like fudge, brownies, or in this case, mousse but enjoy health benefits while doing so. Carob powder has a ton of fiber, antioxidants, it’s low in fat and sugar, has no caffeine and is gluten free! Because of its natural sweetness, it can help satisfy your sugar cravings! Another magical ingredient in this vegan recipe is aquafaba. This is actually the first time I’m sharing a recipe that includes this ingredient but in short, it’s chickpea juice. You can get aquafaba in one of two ways: either draining a can of chickpeas and reserving the liquid OR cooking your own chickpeas and reserving the leftover cooking liquid. Basically what it’s great for is using it as an egg binder, or it can be whipped and added to recipes as a whipped egg white substitute, or used for things like meringues or even vegan/vegetarian mayonnaise!
With these magical plant-based ingredients you can make this yummy mousse recipe which is perfect for date night, valentines day, entertaining friends or to just enjoy on your own. It’s a super simple recipe, however, it is a bit more technical. But once you master it, you’ll find it addicting!
