Do you remember this?
Chia Pudding/Cereal
I used to think that chia was just for fun...as in soak the seeds, spread them on your chia pet and literally watch them grow! I was surprised to come across readings that outlined some of the incredible health benefits of chia seed.
Chia is a tiny black or white seed that was used as a staple food by the Indians of the southwest and Mexico. It is used as a high energy food and has been recorded as far back as the ancient Aztecs. Chia absorbs more than ten times its volume in water and forms a gel that makes a great base for puddings and helps keep your body hydrated. Chia is a rich source of fiber, calcium, B vitamins, and Omega 3 fatty acids. It is a complete protein, helps regulate digestion, control blood sugar, and is high in antioxidants.
I started experimenting with different chia pudding/breakfast cereal type recipes. Some worked well, others made me feel like I was eating slimy food that I knew was good for me. Here is one that works really well. Some of the ingredients might not be easy to find so I have added optional substitutions for you. Basically you can make a chia pudding out of any liquid that tastes good. For example if you have a favorite smoothie recipe, make the smoothie and take two cups of liquid and pour it over 1/4 cup of chia seed, let it sit for a half hour to two hours and voila!
1/4 cup chia seeds
2-3 cups coconut water (or filtered water)
meat of one young Thai coconut (you could also use a tablespoon of your favorite nut butter)
1 vanilla bean (or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1 tablespoon raw honey (or agave, maple syrup, or other favorite sweetener)
pinch of sea salt
Blend coconut water and meat, vanilla, honey and sea salt in a blender until smooth. Pour over chia seeds and let set in refrigerator for thirty minutes to two hours (the longer the better). Once again...you can make this recipe using any ingredients that make a smoothie like texture. Sometimes I add fresh or seasonal berries, apples, pears, almond butter, lucuma, carob powder, cacao powder.....etc.
Good luck! Let me know if you try it and what your favorite chia recipe is.
2 comments:
Our improvised version turned out kind of unusual. I bought a young Thai coconut and it seemed bad (does this happen to you sometimes too, or is there a trick to picking good ones?) I skipped that and added almond butter to about 2-2/3 cups of coconut water. It seemed really watery and not smoothie like at all, so I added some dried coconut to the mix. Still watery. Then I added it to the chia seeds, but it seemed to need more than 1/4 cup chia since the liquid was not thick enough to make a "pudding" like texture. Would it really work (in the recipe as is) with 3 cups of coconut water? Would coconut milk work better?
I think it's tasty enough. My daughter is a little put off by the texture of the chia, and I was thinking of giving it all another whirl around in the blender and re-chilling it to see if she might like it better without the chia bits. Would ground chia work too? Hmm. It's definitely a neat idea. We'll have to play around with it bit.
I've learned to pick the good coconuts. Look for any brown spots or any discoloration on the underside of it...this means its yucky. Yes, it will work with 1/4 cup chia seeds...I would do about 1/2 cup chia seeds to 3 cups liquid or 1/4 to 2 cups liquid. It takes a bit of time for it to "set" up, at least an hour in the refrigerator. It has the texture of tapioca and if your daughter doesn't like that theres not much to do to change it. You could try using ground chia. I have not, could you let me know if it works? OR, you could try blending the whole thing up. I will experiment with this tomorrow and let you know what I find!
Post a Comment