Mochi is a traditional Japanese food that consists of pounded sticky rice.  When pounded, the rice becomes sweet and it is molded into cakes and eaten on New Year’s Day.  The Japanese run on the Gregorian calendar just like we do here in the United States (unlike the Chinese and many other Asian countries, which run on the Chinese lunar calendar), so New Year’s Day is January 1st in Japan.

This is a simple and EASY dessert to make and it contains no refined sugar.  I suppose you could eat it for breakfast too, however I tend to eat my sweets after a meal as this helps with blood sugar stability.

The mochi I use is a whole grain mochi with no sweetener added.  To those of you who have been to Japan or simply picked up mochi at your local Asian market, this mochi will be quite different from what you are used to, but it is still delicious–and a little healthier!

Mochi Berry Waffles

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 package of whole grain mochi (Try Grainaissance in any flavor you choose, I used cinnamon raisin.)

1 cup fresh or frozen berries, organic (I used raspberries and blueberries.  Choosing organic is important for berries since they tend to have a lot of pesticide residue.)

3/4 cup organic apple juice (Apples also usually contain high amounts of pesticide residue.)

1 tbl kuzu root or tapioca starch (Kuzu is a Japanese starch and thickener, it can be found in natural food stores.)

1 container cultured yogurt of your choice, optional (I used a cultured coconut milk yogurt sweetened with agave nectar.)

Instructions

1.)  Plug in waffle iron.  Coat with a light amount of oil to avoid sticking.  Cut mochi into long pieces with a sharp knife.  Split in half widthwise to make thinner pieces.  When waffle iron is ready, lay mochi in iron and cook for approximately 4 minutes.  Don’t worry if all surfaces of the iron aren’t covered, the mochi will “melt” and spread out.

2.) To make berry sauce, place berries into a small pot and add 1/2 cup apple juice.  Heat on medium high until simmering.  Meanwhile, use remaining apple juice to dissolve kuzu root or tapioca starch.  Add starch to simmering berries and stir constantly until thickened.

3.) Remove waffle.  Top with berry sauce and yogurt, if using.  Enjoy!

The traditional food that I grew up eating on New Year’s Day is black-eyed peas and collard greens, which is a custom indigenous to the south.  It is said to bring good luck and especially prosperity in the new year.  Any good southerner would be horrified to think of a New Year’s Day that doesn’t include these foods.  If you are interested in trying this healthy combo today or any other day, here’s a good looking recipe from Eating Well: Collard Green and Black Eyed Pea Soup.

Happy New Year!