whoa mama! that's right - i said sea veggies. this little cup of chocolate love comes to you thanks to a dose of irish sea moss!
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| {mexican hot chocolate with a secret ingredient} |
i've actually noticed irish moss mentioned in a couple recipe listings recently {mostly here}, but i frankly had no idea what it was. when i showed up for meghan telpner's cooking demo last saturday at the toronto vegetarian food festival and found out that she'd be focusing on irish moss i was so excited! meghan showed us how once prepared, this sea veggie can create thick, rich, and creamy soups & beverages.
here's a little bit about irish moss {source}:
~ it's loaded with minerals and vitamins including sulphur compounds, protein, iodine, bromine, beta-carotene, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, zinc, pectin, b-vitamins vitamin c
~ soothing to mucous membranes
~ it can ease gastritis, nausea, heartburn, indigestion, etc
~ antibacterial, antiviral, and anticoagulant properties
~ topically it can soothe eczema, sunburn and chapped skin
~ long recognized for its ability to cure and abate the symptoms of colds and flu
~ contains several natural antimicrobial and anti viral agents
~ can improve thyroid functioning
~ and it makes soups, milks & desserts rich and creamy
sounds pretty awesome, right? i thoughts so too so i bought myself some from meghan herself. this stuff is crazy beans!
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| {irish moss} |
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| {don't get your nose too close!} |
today i cracked the bag. it smelled seriously of seaside and felt gritty with sand between my fingers.
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| {dried irish sea moss} |
i followed the preparation directions, and after a few rinses and a little cold water soak, it was gritty no more. i could have followed the raw soaking directions but that would have meant 24 hours of waiting and i was not feeling that patient, so instead i prepared the moss using the cooked method, simmering it in water for 15 minutes. the results were a swollen, water-logged, gelatinous mess. it was seriously not pretty looking. i drained it and placed it aside to cool. a warning for anyone squimish about textures - beware of this one and use a fork to handle it. it kinda grossed me out.
i got over myself though and made a yummy mug of mexican hot chocolate with it!
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| {secret's out} |
mexican hot chocolate adapted from meghan telpner's demo recipe for chocolate milk
makes one big mug
1 cup almond milk
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp maca root powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
agave or maple syrup to sweeten {i used about 2 tsp of agave}
1/2 - 1 tbsp prepared irish moss {find both the raw & cooked preparation methods here}
blend all of the ingredients together in a blender on high for a few minutes, until the chocolate milk is completely smooth. add the contents to a small saucepan and heat gently and serve.
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| {marshmallow love} |
mmmm... it was smooth and silky and i loved the added warmth from the spices. i had mine topped with mini sweet & sara marshmallows. hurray for vegan marshmallows!
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| {scooping out marshmallows is the best part} |
i got distracted half-way through my mug and when i came back to it i noticed that it had started to thicken as it cooled, but i just popped it in the microwave to reheat it and it returned to it's original consistency. irish moss you are a tricky gal...
what about you? have you tried irish moss before? if so, do you prefer to use it in savoury dishes or sweet treats?
{ shared at ricki's wellness weekend }
I'm intrigued by irish sea moss...but not enough to have tried it yet, haha. That, and it's kind of hard to find. But this does look like a delicious mug of cocoa.
ReplyDeletethe bag i bought is huge so i'll totally mail you some to try if you want!
ReplyDeleteNot only does your hot chocolate look delicious but beautiful as well. And I loooove that it's full of sea-veg. Bravo :)
ReplyDeleteFunny I volunteered for Meghan and I actually helped package that very Irish Moss! TOo funny.
ReplyDeleteShe gave me a bag but I am scared of it because of the smell. I will try the recipe and let you know how it goes.
thank nikki!
ReplyDeletenic, i meant to tell you about that! i actually introduced myself to meghan and told her that you had shared a video of her cooking classes with me a while back and she mentioned that you had helped with festival prep :)
the smell really does fade to nothing once the moss is rinsed and soaked - you should try it!
That is totally impressive! I really like some of Megan Telpner's tips too. I make my own deodorant from her recipe!
ReplyDeleteI'd never heard about Irish moss before, but now I'm very intrigued, especially since I know you can put it in CHOCOLATE.
ReplyDeleteGreat recipe ! I wonder if you let it cool, as you said it thickened a bit, if it could be a Mexican chocolate pudding ? (probably very tasty as well)
ReplyDeleteYou tried it already! My bag is sitting on my counter, waiting. . . I appreciate the preview. :) And the chocolate looks great. Thanks for submitting it to WW this week! (And so great to meet you at the Festival). :D
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! Is it moist?
ReplyDeletei did ricki, i couldn't wait! next time i think i'll try the raw preparation and see if there's a difference.
ReplyDeleteanne, it's dehydrated in the package so no it's not moist to begin with. i'll try to remember to bring you a bit to the swap next week to try!
sounds like a science fair project dealing with that stuff! can we get it in sudbury?
ReplyDeleteet
not that i know of e - maybe something the wellness shop might want to bring in? you can order online from meghan telpner too.
ReplyDeleteI love that your recipe calls for irish moss - I've only used it in raw breads, cheesecakes and puddings. I've never used it in anything cooked so it is interesting to learn about how the properties change.
ReplyDeleteI've had a new hot chocolate recipe on my to-try list since the chill settled into southern Ontario. I will definitely give yours a try.