Vegan MoFo continues! This is a picture-heavy post, so I'll try to keep the text on the light side. Also, I will start this one with the daily movie recommendation instead of the foodz, because once you see what I made you will be far too freaked out to read a movie review!
Romantics Anonymous is a quirky French movie about two lonely chocolate lovers who suffer from severe anxiety issues. French charm? Check! Qurikiness? Check! Chocolate? Check! Socially awkward characters? Check! Angélique is a super talented but extremely shy chocolatier who finds a job at a chocolate-factory owned by Jean-René, who is possibly even more socially awkward. It's a romantic comedy, so they fall in love and encounter all kinds of funny situations. You probably need to be able to relate to their problems to fully enjoy it, but the characters, the chocolate, the sets, and the music will probably keep you interested even if you are the most outgoing people-person in the history of humankind!
OK. Are you ready? Are you holding on to your socks? This will blow them right off your feet! I'm still trying to find my socks that were rocked straight off MY feet when I first found this recipe! Ready?
Fluffy!
It's vegan meringue topping!! Tofu based? Nope. Coconut cream? No. Cashews? Nope, no nuts. Ener-G Egg Replacer? No! But it is made with something that is used as an egg replacer - flax seeds! Wha??? OK, not flax seeds, but flax seed goo. Flax seed goo turns into a white fluffy vegan meringue! Did you know this? Am I the only one who didn't know? Surely I can't be the only one that had been kept in the dark about this awesomeness? I found the recipe at Artisan Vegan Life, and I was in denial at first. Flax goo into meringue? No! I didn't believe it at first! Wake me up! I'm dreaming! But it was true, and so I made a batch, and then another batch, and now I can't stop eating it. It does start to lose its fluffiness fairly quickly, so you have to whip it *just before* you're ready to serve it.
How do you make it? You simmer flax seeds and water until the water gets all slimy and icky, then a couple of simple steps later you whip it into a wonderful bowl of fluff! I sweeten mine with pulverized sugar (whiz it in the Magic Bullet) and flavor it with a teaspoon of vanilla. I have also tried powdered sugar but I didn't care for it. Maybe coconut sugar? Maple sugar? Low calorie Stevia? Oh, the endless possibilities! It does not taste like flax seeds, or at least I don't think it does at all, and neither does Mr. Wing-It. Calories? I don't know. How many calories are there in flax goo? Head over to Artisan Vegan Life for the recipe and go nuts! Bring Miyoko some sort of offering and help me build her an shrine too, mkay? Here come the pictures...
Not too appetizing flax goo.
Blurry whipping-action shot!
Almost done! Add sugar and flavorings and keep whipping a little longer!
1/4 cup of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla later... Meringue!
May I interest you in a light-as-air strawberry and meringue dessert?
Perhaps a cup of creamy hot chocolate with an airy meringue topping?
Miyoko, you are my hero!
You know what else is white, fluffy, and sweet? Curly!
Aww. Why so sad, buddy?
Romantics Anonymous is a quirky French movie about two lonely chocolate lovers who suffer from severe anxiety issues. French charm? Check! Qurikiness? Check! Chocolate? Check! Socially awkward characters? Check! Angélique is a super talented but extremely shy chocolatier who finds a job at a chocolate-factory owned by Jean-René, who is possibly even more socially awkward. It's a romantic comedy, so they fall in love and encounter all kinds of funny situations. You probably need to be able to relate to their problems to fully enjoy it, but the characters, the chocolate, the sets, and the music will probably keep you interested even if you are the most outgoing people-person in the history of humankind!
OK. Are you ready? Are you holding on to your socks? This will blow them right off your feet! I'm still trying to find my socks that were rocked straight off MY feet when I first found this recipe! Ready?
Fluffy!
It's vegan meringue topping!! Tofu based? Nope. Coconut cream? No. Cashews? Nope, no nuts. Ener-G Egg Replacer? No! But it is made with something that is used as an egg replacer - flax seeds! Wha??? OK, not flax seeds, but flax seed goo. Flax seed goo turns into a white fluffy vegan meringue! Did you know this? Am I the only one who didn't know? Surely I can't be the only one that had been kept in the dark about this awesomeness? I found the recipe at Artisan Vegan Life, and I was in denial at first. Flax goo into meringue? No! I didn't believe it at first! Wake me up! I'm dreaming! But it was true, and so I made a batch, and then another batch, and now I can't stop eating it. It does start to lose its fluffiness fairly quickly, so you have to whip it *just before* you're ready to serve it.
How do you make it? You simmer flax seeds and water until the water gets all slimy and icky, then a couple of simple steps later you whip it into a wonderful bowl of fluff! I sweeten mine with pulverized sugar (whiz it in the Magic Bullet) and flavor it with a teaspoon of vanilla. I have also tried powdered sugar but I didn't care for it. Maybe coconut sugar? Maple sugar? Low calorie Stevia? Oh, the endless possibilities! It does not taste like flax seeds, or at least I don't think it does at all, and neither does Mr. Wing-It. Calories? I don't know. How many calories are there in flax goo? Head over to Artisan Vegan Life for the recipe and go nuts! Bring Miyoko some sort of offering and help me build her an shrine too, mkay? Here come the pictures...
Not too appetizing flax goo.
Blurry whipping-action shot!
Almost done! Add sugar and flavorings and keep whipping a little longer!
1/4 cup of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla later... Meringue!
May I interest you in a light-as-air strawberry and meringue dessert?
Perhaps a cup of creamy hot chocolate with an airy meringue topping?
Miyoko, you are my hero!
You know what else is white, fluffy, and sweet? Curly!
Aww. Why so sad, buddy?
Whaaaaat?! Flax seed goo turns into meringue? You are a genius, River!
ReplyDeleteOK, so I'm not the only one who didn't know about this! Miyoko is the genius, I am her humble, adoring fan!
DeleteMiyoko is a genius! It seems like one could make other creamy things besides meringue from flax goo, as well.
DeleteMiyoko for president! :D
DeleteHoly schnitzel!!! That's HANDS DOWN the coolest thing I've seen today.
ReplyDeleteIt's the coolest thing I've seen in a long time! When I first tried it I was in shock for a couple of days. Even though I'd seen pictures of what it looked like whipped, it was still amazing to see hit happen!
DeleteWow, this is seriously amazing! Do you know if it works well when baked into a lemon meringue pie?
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing! Miyoko says it doesn't handle the heat very well, but you should check with her in case she figured it out.
DeleteOh my, this is so cool.. who would have thought!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing :)
Would you know how long this keeps for?
I know! I never would have thought of this myself! Don't know how long you can keep it in the fridge. You might want to check with Miyoko.
DeleteFirst of all, may I just say how totally thrilled I was to see your name pop up in my Google Reader? Yay--posts from River! Whoopee! :D So glad you're doing MoFo. Welcome back!!
ReplyDeleteAnd wow, meringue! I wonder if you could singe it under the broiler on top of a lemon pie. . .mmmmmm, possibilities are indeed endless!!
HUGS!!
Thanks, Ricki! It's good to be back! I hope I don't lose steam halfway through MoFo! About the meringue, Miyoko says it can't be heated, but I'm sure she's working on it because she's awesome! I intend to make lemon meringue pie with fresh meringue soon! :)
DeleteMiyoko has all kinds of craziness up her sleeve so I'm not surprised. If only I had my mixer. :(. Last year at Vidal vega con Hannah Kaminsky taught us to make meringue that could be made into pie. will vegan wonders never cease?
ReplyDeleteI know! I wish making rejuvelac didn't intimidate me so much, because I would love to try some of Miyoko's cheese recipes. Vegan wonders will never cease!
DeleteYou are not alone, I had no idea about flax goop being able to meringued until now, thanks River! I really can't believe it can do it, that is amazing!
ReplyDeleteAnd "quack" to Curly :D
It's almost unbelievable! To think that all this time we've had the ingredients in our pantries without knowing we could turn them into meringue topping! What else is lurking in the pantry that could be made into something amazing?!
DeleteWoah, this is very cool.
ReplyDeleteI know! It's the coolest thing since someone figured out they could whip coconut milk solids into a fluffy cream!
DeleteAh-Ma-Zing!!!!! I thought I would never be able to have whipped cream again! This is so incredible! I think you just saved Thanksgiving!!! The result from simmering was identical to egg whites. It makes me wonder what else I can whip up with it! I bet it would perform better than unheated flax eggs in baked goods too. Oh, the possibilities. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteI did wonder about using it as an egg replacer instead of using the regular ground-flax with water method. I bet it is better! Are you making a pumpkin pie with freshly whipped flax meringue topping for Thanksgiving? Can I come? :P
DeleteOh my goodness, you and Miyoku are geniuses!!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you back in time for Halloweegan :)
Hi Alisa! I will try to do a couple of things for Halloweegan - it would be wrong to do nothing at all! Miyoko is the genius, I'm just a happy glutton! :D
DeleteSo cool, I'll have to try this meringue method! The movie sounds right up my street too.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely try them both! They are both very sweet :)
DeleteI knew about hair gel, but meringue! No! I already love Miyoko, so I'll b the one next to you wiping off her feet.
ReplyDeletexo
kittee
I didn't even know about hair gel until I after I found Miyoko's meringue! I do live under a rock though.
Deletea cute rock with ducks next door you mean!
DeleteThat is true! If you're going to live under a rock, find one located near a pond or lake to ensure maximum duck neighboring! :D
DeleteThat's amazing! I had no idea you could do that with flax, and you can't even see any flax flecks. I must...no, I Need to try this.
ReplyDeleteNo flax flex anywhere, just fluffy fluffiness! You do need to try it!
DeleteRiver! My husband and I watched Romantics Anonymous last night. We loved it! So funny and both made us happy that we found each other. We are definitely more like those characters then the suave ones in other movies. Lol. I also liked all the chocolate scenes. Made me want to go to school to learn all the techniques and then eat all the chocolate! :) Thanks for the rec!
ReplyDeleteSweet! You are very welcome and I'm so glad you guys enjoyed it too! We are definitely more like these quirky, awkward characters than the more "conventional" ones too. The chocolate scenes were so sweet! (pun totally intended) It would be nice to be able to create such beautiful chocolates like they did. Let's go to chocolate school together then! :D
DeleteWow. Like magic!
ReplyDeleteI know! It's a pretty magical thing!
DeleteCan you bake them in the oven to make them hard like the non-vegan ones?
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid you can't. But I'm sure Miyoko will figure out away because she's a genius!
DeleteI do have three recipes for Meringue cookies bookmarked, and even though I have not tried them yet, they look wonderful! Links:
http://themisfitbaker.com/2012/04/08/almond-meringue-kisses/
http://chocochichi.com/2009/11/29/vegan-meringue/
http://adirondackvegan.wordpress.com/2008/04/21/meringue-fantasy/
Although chocolate is being a luxury food item, these are immensely popular among people of all ages. It is one of those rare confectionery items that is consumed and liked by everyone around the globe and hence, it is known as the "food of the Gods".
ReplyDeleteChocolate topping
Not to rain on anyone's parade but most chocolate is harvested by child slavery. I watched a documentary on this. I know-one more thing we have to be choosey about. it may not be true but I assume it is.
ReplyDeleteThat's why fair trade chocolate exists. Even if it isn't fair trade labeled it could still be ethically sourced from non child labor sources. Just research your brands. Hershey's is bad but I can still eat my Chocolove. Also check what your stores policy is for what it buys, my co-op has some pretty good choices.
DeleteHow is it meringue if you can't cook it? Otherwise it is just sort of a whipped-cream topping.
ReplyDeleteWow - dreams really can come true!.. If only I could access the recipe and technique for creating the meringue. Tho I searched Miyokos site thru your link I couldn't find the actual recipe anywhere. Can you give me some pointers? I would be willing to purchase Miyokos cookbook if it includes the meringue recipe!
ReplyDeleteHi Poppy! Thanks for the heads up! Looks like Miyoko switched to a new blogging platform and the link to the meringue topping has changed. I'll update this post with the new link, but here it is anyway: http://www.artisanveganlife.com/intensely-baking/
DeleteEnjoy the meringue! :)
Hi River, I got the recipe! Thank you -- you are an angel -- pun intended!
DeleteHa! I see what you did there! :D
DeleteYou're welcome! Enjoy!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletehow do you make it solid like a real meringue ?
ReplyDeletei want to make these -they're a danish spaciality -try them ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y93deY-Kbws
Hi Stiggy! Those treats look delicious! I have not been able to experiment much with Miyoko's recipe because we have been traveling and all I have with me are the most basic kitchen supplies, but check out this topic at the PPK forums where people have been sharing their own experiments with Miyoko's meringue recipe: http://forum.theppk.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=25665
DeleteGood luck! Let me know how it goes! :)
thanks river ;)
DeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteThis is amazing! I just did it but I'm wondering what did you do with the leftover flax seed? Or should I use it all for the meringue? I have both, the flax goo and the flax seeds, should I use it all together?
ReplyDeleteThanks! I adore your blog! :)
Hi Priscilla! You have a beautiful name! The leftover flax seeds look pretty icky, don't they? They aren't used for the meringue at all, but I hate wasting food so I just dump them into a batch of homemade bread. I just throw the whole blob of icky, slimy leftover flax seeds into the bread machine along with the other bread ingredients and add a couple extra tablespoons of flour to the recipe to make up for the extra moisture that comes with the gooey seeds. Some day I will try to use them to make flax crackers, or maybe even throw the whole slimy seed blob in the blender and try to use it as egg replacer. I hope that helps! :)
DeleteHi :)! I tried to do this with a hand mixer with blades like this: http://img2.targetimg2.com/wcsstore/TargetSAS//img/p/10/78/10788861.jpg , but it didn't work. Do you think it'd work with blades like these: http://rk.wsimgs.com/wsimgs/rk/images/dp/wcm/201319/0143/img7b.jpg (which are similar to yours)?
ReplyDeleteHi! I really don't know if the different blades would make a difference? The power and speed of the blender might have more to do with it for this one. I have not tried making it with my hand mixer yet (too lazy to hold it for so long!) so I don't really have any helpful advice for you. Do check out this conversation over at The PPK forums where people have shared their different experiences with this recipe: http://forum.theppk.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=25665
DeleteI hope you can get it to work! Good luck!
Thank you so much for the advice :)! I'll make sure to check out that forum.
DeleteI'm really enjoying the design and layout of your blog. It's a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more enjoyable for me to come here and visit more often.
ReplyDeleteDid you hire out a developer to create your theme?
Excellent work!
Look into my site shoutcast server hosting.
I tried this recipe four times and failed each time. I followed the recipe exactly as it says and then when I'd go to whip up my flaxseed goo it didn't turn white or build volume like yours did! Did you refrigerate you goo before whipping and how long did u whip it for. How long into the process did you see any changes in the goo (build up of volume colour change etc.). Thanks
ReplyDeleteOh, that sucks! I hope you were able to use the flax goo as an egg replacer so it didn't all go to waste. Yep, the goo needs to be refrigerated first. Most times I just make the flax gel one day and then whip it the next day so it can chill in the fridge overnight. It's ready to whip as soon as it feels very cold though. I usually whip my flax gel for about eight minutes and that's plenty. It starts to get slightly foamy and off-white after about two or three minutes, and then it keeps getting fluffier and whiter from there. Good luck! Let me know if you succeed the next time!
DeletePS: Check out this thread on The PPK forum where people have shared their experiences with this: http://forum.theppk.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=25665
I didn't end up using the goo as I though I had done something wrong turns out I probably just didn't let it chill enough! As well I was reading a few other blogs about whipping up flax goo and one stated this is impossible to whip up without a stand mixer, I only have a hand held beater has anyone else whipped this up without a stand mixer?
ReplyDeleteI have not tried it with a hand held mixer. I suppose it would depend on the wattage? My 220 watt Cuisinart could probably get the job done, but I have a little 125 watt Toastmaster that would most likely be too weak for it. What's your hand mixer's wattage? We'll get to the bottom of this! You will have flax meringue! :)
DeleteIt's a kitchen aid mixer and goes up to 240 watts. I managed to find some agar powder so ill try to use a combination maybe of agar powder and flax goo,hopefully it'll peak!
DeleteOoh that sounds interesting. Please let me know how the agar experiment goes! Good luck!
Deletei wonder if cream of tartar would work to stabilize as it does for egg meringue? or is that not a vegan thing- cream of tartar. I admit I don't rly know what its made of lol.
ReplyDeleteSorry your comment got stuck in the spam folder, Christina! I have tried cream of tartar for this before, but unfortunately I didn't notice any difference. You might find this conversation at the PPK forums helpful:
Deletehttp://forum.theppk.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=25665
this lightens vegan corn bread and other recipes where you might fold in an egg white
ReplyDeleteGood to know, thanks!
ReplyDeleteIt looks good. But I miss an ingredient list!
ReplyDeleteYou have to follow the link to Miyoko's recipe :)
Delete