In the continuing attempt to bring back summer by making delicious cocktails, meet the Pineapple Mojito Jug! You’re welcome. THIS is my new favourite drink. Did I say that about the Coconut Margarita too? I forget. Anyway. It’s pretty great, and I don’t just say that because I was raised on a pineapple farm and have a strange affinity for pineapple. It’s so good. If you’re not feeling the rum bases, try it with tequila. Also very good, trust me, I’m a tequila expert.
Said no one ever.
But moving right ahead! Grab a jug or a punch bowl (if you’re old school) and get ready to make this one for your next house party or gathering. I don’t care if it’s cold and blah right now; tropical is in. And sooner or later, winter has to end, right? But first, how about some pretty pictures to make you thirsty. I’ll meet you after them with the recipe.
Pineapple Mojito Jug
YOU’LL NEED
1⁄2 bottle of white rum
A pineapple
5 limes
Bunch of mint
1⁄4 cup organic sugar
Soda Water or Lemonade
Ice
DO THIS
Who’s ready to prep?
Start by peeling the pineapple. Cut half of the peeled, whole pineapple into core-less slices and the rest into wedges. Juice 3 of the limes and slice the other two. Save any of the juice from the slicing for the jug, where possible. Combine the sugar and any spare juice to start it dissolving. If there’s not enough liquid, squeeze a little more. This step makes it easier later if you don’t do it; meh, no biggie.
Ready to serve?
Place the pineapple and lime slices in and around the edges of the jug. Add a cup or two of ice. Pour the rum, juice and sugar mix into the jug. If you’re using lemonade, you probably won’t need the sugar. Place a handful of mint, chopped or bruised (in your hand) on top of the ice. Use a muddler (or rolling pin, whatever works) and smoosh it all together. If you’ve got time, let it all sit there for a bit in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve, pour the soda water or lemonade (don’t use a combination, it actually tastes a bit weird) over the entire mixture and serve.
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Happy mixing team! And don’t forget, if you subscribe to the Suger News, you can download a copy of the entire #sugerDRINKS eBook for free. We’d love to have you. I send an email every week with a lesson I’ve learned or a trick for living well. It’s pretty awesome if I do say so myself. Emails go on a Saturday morning; Be there, or be square!
SoMa SoMa Espresso opened in Mellor Street, Gympie earlier this year. Long before I had the chance to visit I had heard about their coffee. At that stage, they were still waiting on their food service permits (etc, snore) but the coffee was an immediate and huge hit. Firstly because it was GOOD, and secondly because it was so CHEAP. A large coffee for well under $5, can’t argue with that.
Flash forward a few months and everything has fallen into place for the team.
Food is pumping and the all day menu means food comes out quick. Which, for the lunch crowd is important and in my experience can be somewhat lacking around town. I’m all for a long lunch, but sometimes I don’t have the time. Being able to have my food on the table quickly works for me.
Plus, they are now open Friday evenings with wine and tapas. As far as I’m concerned, that makes it perfect. Wine and little plates of food, I’m in! And if you want to stay up to date with what the team are doing, make sure you like the SoMa SoMa Espresso Facebook page.
SoMa SoMa Espresso is just what we were waiting for. It’s an Instagrammable place (way essential) to get great coffee and meet up. Get there early for the best parks, trust me. If you’re coming through Gympie, or live here (we should be friends!), then make sure you put aside some time to give this cafe a go.
But what to eat?
I highly recommend the pesto pasta, the quiche (always yum!), and smashed avocado with the poached eggs. Heck, all the extras with the smashed avo if you’re in the mood (everything from pancetta to haloumi). Don’t forget the coffee. Make sure you get a coffee. It really is something to write home about. Then kick back, enjoy the atmosphere and thank your lucky stars that I gave you the heads up. Haha. You’re welcome.
Yup, you read that one right. This chocolate mousse is made from the liquid drained from a can of chickpeas. It’s called aquafaba, you can totally google it. I did. A friend had asked me if I’d heard of chickpea liquid being whipped for vegan desserts like meringues or chocolate mousse, a bit surprised by the whole thing, we went searching.
Not a word of a lie, it happens!
So, of course, I had to give it a go for myself. Desiree was coming to mine for a movie night so we picked up some ingredients and decided to give it a go. How hard could it be right? Well, I underestimated it as someone who doesn’t really have the patience for dessert or baking, but really it was pretty easy. With some work on my folding technique, I could be a total pro. Haha.
Check it out.
Aquafaba {Chickpea Goo!} Chocolate Mousse
You’ll Need
Liquid of 1 can of chickpeas
Dark Chocolate – 1 cup
2 tbsp Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp Vanilla
Serves 4’ish
To This
Melt the chocolate over a boiling pot of water or in a microwave, stir through vanilla and set aside to cool
Combine chilled chickpea liquid (aquafaba) and maple syrup
Whip chickpea liquid mixture until hard peaks form, this could take a while (less if you managed to chill the liquid)
Fold the chocolate (cooled, but not firm) into the whipped chickpea mixture
Pour into serving glasses and chill for half an hour or more
Tips for Chocolate Mousse Success
Firstly, some patience would be good. I should have continued to whip the liquid further than I did. I read online a comment from a woman who had left her beaters on for almost 30 minutes while answering the door. Good news that it won’t overwhip like cream, so keep things going until it is nice and firm, stop too soon and it will melt quickly (like mine).
Secondly, chill the aquafaba (liquid) before beating it and combine with the maple syrup BEFORE you start beating. I read this on Vanillacrunch, and it worked a charm. Even though I ran short of maple syrup so mine isn’t as sweet as I would like it (especially against the dark chocolate) but it’s well worth adding.
And finally, I was thinking that I could have whipped the chickpea liquid in the Thermomix instead of the with the hand held beaters I used. Worth a try, don’t you think? Thermobliss have a recipe how to make a meringue that could help.
Who doesn’t love dessert/breakfast foods? I’m pretty sure that’s how doughnuts, pastries and such things started. So these Berry Coconut Chia Cups are a perfect, really filling, alternative to all that refined sugar.
I’ve had to find a way to be better at mornings. Too often I would be well into mid-morning and realise that all I’ve had to ‘eat’ is coffee. With that in mind, I decided to search the interwebs for breakfast ideas and start to try some of them at home.
There used to be a cafe in town that did a chia breakfast cup and it was my favourite. Their coffee was good too, which was a bonus. A lot of mornings I’d swing by, grab my coffee and my chia cup and head to work. But they closed. Darn it. So while I was looking for breakfast ideas, it occurred to me that it couldn’t be THAT hard to make my own, right?
RIGHT!
They’re so simple, you can make them well in advance (time saver!) and once you get over what my colleague Rob calls the weird texture, they’re a great start to the day. Filling and packed with goodness. Are you ready to give this berry coconutty cup of yum a try? I thought so, read on.
Berry Coconut Chia Cups
YOU NEED
Chia Cups:
Chia seeds – 1 Cup (I used black chia, rinse)
Coconut milk – 1 Can
Coconut water – 2 – 3 Cups (almond milk or water works too)
Vanilla – 1 tbsp
Maple syrup – 1 – 2 tbsp
(serves 4)
To serve:
Coconut Yoghurt
Blueberries
Blackberries
Maple Syrup Leftover purple smoothie (pretty much anything delicious you love)
METHOD
1. Combine chia seeds (rinsed), coconut milk, coconut water, vanilla and maple syrup. Do this is a pouring bowl to make it easier on yourself to put them into jars or cups later.
2. Pour mixture into four cups/jars/pretty things you like
3. Put in fridge to set (give them an hour or two, overnight works too)
4. To serve, decorate the cups with a generous scoop of coconut yoghurt, sprinkle berries and top with maple syrup.
The cups can go back into the fridge if you don’t need them straight away and will keep (especially in a jar with a lid) for 3-4 days depending on your topping and storage choices).
Love this recipe? A pin or a share would be much appreciated.
