Chia seeds. One of those wonderful new super foods that seem to be taking the world by storm, but yet something that you may be a bit skeptical to try. Don’t be. I was introduced to chia at the magical breakfast buffet at VidaVeganCon last summer, and while it took me a while to take the plunge to try it myself, I’m so glad I did. This magical seed has some really neat properties, all sorts of valuable nutrients, and makes for an incredibly easy and versatile breakfast.
Chia breakfast on the balcony
So what’s all the fuss about chia? Well, it is a complete plant-based protein, full of fiber, Omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, calcium, phosphorous, and manganese. It gives you valuable minerals, and helps keep you feeling full and full of energy. And it… gels. Which is just crazy cool and surprising, but aside from that it makes it a base for a great filling breakfast (potentially in place of your usual oatmeal or carbohydrate happy meal) that keeps you satiated throughout the day, as well as a great boost for smoothies, and even a binder for baked goods.
Chia porridge for breakfast. Yes I have Richard Scarry bowls, what of it? :)
Recipes:
Chia Pudding
Basic chia pudding is easy as pie: 1 part chia seeds to 3 parts liquid. Mix. Let rest for half an hour, mixing once during the resting period. Eat. :) You probably want to use at least 2-3 T of seeds in order to have a large and filling enough portion.
But… then you can get all fancy. The pudding above was still basically plain, using a non-dairy milk instead of simply water. However, you can use just water… or just about anything else you can think of. A quick google search will reveal dozens of chia pudding recipes – if you find one (or have one!) you like please let me know! I’m doing chia a lot lately, so I’d love to experiment. I’ve mixed in blueberries, cocoa mole, bananas…. I’m pretty sure the sky’s the limit.
Chia cake
This recipe needs veganizing, but I’m pretty sure a quick substitue of vegan butter and a flax egg (check back with me on letter F for the details on what that is!) would do the trick, and it otherwise looks amazing. Haven’t tried it yet, but it’s high on my to-do list. If you get to it first, let me know how it turns out!
Chia gel! Up close and personal :)
Great post! I am learning to love chia seeds as well. It took me forever but I have finally tried the cherry flavored kombucha with chia seeds, wasn’t sure I was going to like it but I really do. Must try branch out into more uses in smithies and baking now ^_^
Ooo, neat. I braved kombucha for the first time at a convention this summer, and it turned out not to so scary. Yeah, after researching for this and for something else I’m doing, I *really* want to try chia in baking, veggie burgers, and, well… everything. :)
I’ve recently heard of chia. Is it easy to find? We don’t have any type of Whole Foods but I bet I could find it at the health food store.
Chia’s becoming more and more common, so my guess is any health foods store or local “Whole Foods style” store would have it. If not, google it and you’ll find plenty of places to order it online. That’w how I’ve been getting my more obscure ingredients lately.