Only Recipes, by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Well, after making pavlova, meringues and pasta with aquafaba (brine from a can of chickpeas) I am convinced that it really works like eggs, so why not try mayonnaise too? This is my own recipe, it tastes great and it is easy to make! 2 tbsp aquafaba (brine from a can of chickpeas) 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 pinch salt about half a cup vegetable oil Place the first three ingredients in a tall thin container or glass and start blending with an immersion blender, add the oil slowly and see your mayonnaise form! It takes two minutes for half a cup of fresh lemon mayo! For variation: add a little mustard or wasabi or capers, or garlic (my favourite!) or anything. Store in the fridge. Photos and recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

Fresh pasta in Emilia Romagna (Italy) is traditionally made with flour and eggs, but since I am using  aquafaba (the brine from a can of chickpeas)  a lot these days, and it works very well as an egg replacement for many recipes, I thought that it could work for fresh pasta too! And yes it works! The chickpea brine gives protein to the mixture and elasticity to the dough which is easy to roll exactly like an egg dough. Only the colour is lighter (not so yellow) but I don't see this as an issue, and you can always add a pinch of saffron to the aquafaba if you like your pasta more yellow. The taste is perfect and the pasta dries very well, and cooks well too. Plus the taste is great! So, while I am from Emilia Romagna and will continue to make pasta the traditional way (eggs and flour), I can now also make fresh pasta for my vegan friends, and use this recipe in winter when chickens don't lay eggs. Alessandra's Vegan Homemade Fresh Pasta 200 g high grade ...

First a confession: I am not a fan of Pavlovas, not at all. But I love meringues, and ever since I have heard of the aquafaba meringue, or meringue made with the water from a can of chickpeas (very popular in Italian blogs, and not necessarily Vegan blogs, everyone is making it!) I couldn't stop thinking about it!  "Vegan baker Goose Wohlt coined the term  aquafaba  ("bean liquid") to describe the liquid, which French chef Joël Roessel discovered could be used in recipes much like egg whites." Source; Wikipedia  Well, what a success!! Basically all you need to do is to drain a can of chickpeas, keep the liquid and then beat it. Don't do it by hand though, unless you have strong harms, it takes longer that egg whites. But wow doesn't it peak! And white and fluffy too! I got quite emotional seeing it, like a wonderful chemistry experiment. After beating for 3-5minutes After 7-8 minutes After adding sugar and cornflour Taaa-daa...