One of the things people who have come to our house discover is that, since I turned vegan a few months ago, we have a lot of seeds & nuts (in addition to other grains French people don't eat often like Kasha, Quinoa or Millet) in the house as I use them as a great source of proteins.
Among the cashews nuts (raw or roasted (always unsalted)), almonds, walnuts, soy nuts, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, peanuts, pistachios, pine nuts, Brazilian nuts, Macadamia nuts and other pecans, the seeds that trigger the most interest are Chia seeds. Most people have never heard of them; or when they have, they don't really know how to use them. They just know it's supposedly good for you because of their Omega 3-6 content...
I get the same question at work where some of my colleagues have started eating them... No later than this morning, a colleague told me that she was putting a few in her tea; since Chia seeds become gelatinous, it reminded her of tapioca pearls... I had never thought about this way of using them and will try it out...
I personally put them in yogurt or on apple sauce, never on anything salted for some reasons...
I have also used them to bind dough in cakes.... but most recently, I have been making Chia pudding. This is the easiest dessert to make and the options are endless when it comes to taste, texture and flavor. I first saw this Chia pudding in a local restaurant and realized that it was really easy to make. I now saw some "Chia Pods" in the dairy section at Whole Foods (I have never tried them and will wait for them to go on major sale to purchase one : for the same price you can make about 10 of them, if not more)...
Our children do eat Chia seeds in their yogurt... and have been enjoying some versions of this Chia pudding.... so voila another easy healthy homemade dessert! Bon Appétit!
Ingredients:
- Chia seeds
- Coconut Milk (whole, not light)
- Agave syrup or honey for sweetness
- Vanilla extract
- In a large bowl, measure 1/4 cup of Chia Seeds.
- Slowly add 1 cup of milk, stirring a lot. Stirr more so that all the seeds get wet.
- Add syrup/honey and sweeten taste.
- Put in the fridge, stirring it frequently so that no chia seeds cluster together.
- Serve cold with cut fruits (mango, cantaloupe, kiwi, strawberries, etc.)
My Personal Comments
- I have tried it with Soy, Almond and Coconut milk. I prefer it with whole coconut milk.
- You can play with the ratio chia seeds: liquid. I like it at 1:4 but some people like it at 1:3.
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