Monday, August 12, 2013

Chia Pudding

Happy Monday!  It's hard to believe, but this is one of the last Mondays of summer for us here - little miss starts school in just a couple of weeks, so we are trying to make the most of our last weeks of freedom around here.

Once school starts, I'm going to be working hard to make sure that little miss has a good, healthy, brain-feeding breakfast to start her days off right.

Now, if you read the title to this post, you're probably thinking "pudding? breakfast? What?!"

But it makes sense, I promise!

When I received this month's Secret Recipe Club assignment, I was pretty excited. Betcha Can't Eat Just One is a really awesome blog - Katie is a very talented baker and writes a really delicious blog. I had a lot of trouble choosing what to make for this month. She has some really awesome recipes.

But then I saw this one for Chocolate Chia Pudding, and I knew I had to make it. Yes, it's easy, which almost felt like cheating, but it's something I've only just recently heard of, and that I was super excited to try. 

And when I say simple, I mean simple.

I started with coconut milk (little man held the measuring cup for me), to which I added cocoa powder,


sweetener (agave nectar), and these little beauties:


Chia seeds.

Chia seeds are gaining popularity right now, though are still considered a bit of a specialty item. They are very popular among the... well... health-nut crowd. And I say that lovingly.  They are chock-full of healthy fat, protein, dietary fiber and a variety of other good stuff - including calcium! Cool, huh?

So, yeah - just those few ingredients... and you're done! Whisk it all together and pop it in the fridge.

I made the chocolate version, like the recipe called for, and then thought to myself... "hmm... that was easy... I should try another flavor, too!"

So I did!

I did the same thing, but instead of agave nectar, I used hone, and instead of cocoa, I tried:


shredded coconut!  Hey, why not?

The recipe indicated that these should be refrigerated for at least 30 minutes. I prepared these just about two hours before dinner, so that we could have them for dessert.

And it worked pretty well!


The chia seeds absorb so much liquid, it really does give the pudding a very... well... pudding-y consistency!


You'll notice a bit of milkier pudding on the bottom. More time in the fridge firms it up even more.

But these were fun to eat!


And with the simple, short ingredient list, these would make a quick, healthy breakfast for a school morning!

Now, the chia seeds give the pudding a somewhat tapioca-like consistency, which the kids found a bit weird.

I read a tip online about blending the pudding once it is done, and I think I might try that. I am definitely going to try different flavors - I have blueberries and strawberries in the fridge just begging for their turn to be chia-fied, so I will let you know if I perfect a process for this that makes everyone happy.

Katie, thank you so much for your beautiful, delicious and inspiring blog - I can't wait to try many more of your recipes (starting with your Epic Focaccia Bread!).


Chocolate Chia Pudding
(from Betcha Can't Eat Just One)

1/4 cup chia seeds
3/4 - 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 rounded tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 - 2 tablespoons agave nectar (to taste)

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. (You can pour the mixture into smaller serving dishes if you want before refrigerating - I used ramekins.)
The seeds will expand and kind of gel up…they look like tapioca.  The longer you let them sit, the more moisture they will absorb and the thicker your pudding will be.

Enjoy!



14 comments:

  1. I have been looking for more creative ways to use my Chia seeds - I may try this. I had your blog this month and I loved making your cinnamon swirl bread.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for reminding me about chia seeds. I have a package in my refrigerator and haven't been using it. This is a perfect recipe to try for my grandkids. Great post.. thanks

    ReplyDelete
  3. I just got a bag of white chia seeds, I think I need to try this :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've been meaning to try this but every recipe I saw used regular milk. I'm finding I'm having issues with milk so I need to switch to something else. I'm definitely putting these on my to make list!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very unique. I never would have thought to create pudding from Chai seeds. And awesome that it's so versatile for flavors.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Interesting, pudding with chia seeds. I love the idea of coconut milk and chocolate.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Shelley,
    This pudding looks so comforting, wish I had a cup of it right now. It is fun cooking with you on the SRC!
    Miz Helen

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looks like an extra special pudding with the chia seeds and coconut milk/

    ReplyDelete
  9. I haven't tried chia seeds yet but your puddings do look delicious. I'm a little unsure about whether I'd like the texture though if it is like tapiocca

    ReplyDelete
  10. oooh the Chia :) I'm glad someone decided to give this recipe a go! I recently came across a freezer jam recipe that used chia to thicken things up...I can't wait to give it a try!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I’ve never used chia before but this looks really good!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Looks so tasty and easy! My favorite kind of recipes. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. This sounded so delicious, I had to try it. I have to avoid coconut, agave and chocolate for another week, so I made a few changes and created Almond Butter Chia Pudding and posted the results on my blog at http://hemightlikeit.blogspot.com/

    It was delicious with sliced bananas! Thank you so much for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts with Thumbnails