Ch-ch-ch-CHIA!
January 27, 2013 in Diet, Food and Recipes by Lauren
Right now it’s about noon o’clock, CST… and I don’t mean Central Standard Time.I’m talking about a different, sexier kinda time: Chia Seed Time.
Remember this?
Yes, the chia seeds I’m talking about are the same seeds used on a Chia Pet. But before you get freaked out by the fact that you can eat the same seeds that sprout green fur on a clay animal, hear me out.
Chias and tummies go way back. Back to the Mayans and Aztecs who used to eat these lil guys for sustained energy and strength. Check out what’s in just 1 tbsp of chias:
-5g of fiber (this keeps you feeling full and satisfied and helps…ya know…move things along. …I’m talking about poop, guys)
-3g of protein (woohoo! muscle building and repair!)
-vitamins and minerals including calcium, manganese, and potassium
-Omega 3 fatty acids (an essential fat needed for numerous bodily functions. Beneficial for heart health, reducing inflammation, and more! Omega 3s aren’t produced in the body, so we need to get them from dietary sources. Chia is great for this!)
So…what do we do with these guys? Well, I throw them in oatmeal, on salads, mix them into cookies for healthy crunch, put them in GREEN BEASTS, use them as an egg replacer for baking, the list goes on! I basically go out of my way to incorporate them into my diet. But, one of my favorite things to do is make CHIA GEL!
…errr let’s just call it pudding. That sounds more appetizing.
CHIA PUDDING! (gluten-free, vegan, raw, refined sugar-free)
Another amazing thing about chias is they absorb liquid, which causes them to expand and “gel” when they have prolonged contact with liquid. This makes them great for hydration, but also amazing for a twist on a healthy snack! I make a batch of this every few days in a plastic container and just eat spoonfuls of it whenever I want! I especially love it before and/or after a workout. It’s delicious, but if you’re not into weird consistencies, consider yourself warned.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 ¼ cup milk of choice (I use unsweetened almond milk)
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- 1 or 2 tsp liquid sweetener (ie: agave, maple syrup, honey, etc. If using liquid stevia, use about 4-5 drops. Whatever sweetener you use, you can adjust the amt to suit your desired level of sweetness.)
- some dashes of cinnamon
- teeny pinch of salt (TEENY. this is just to bring out the sweetness)
1. Mix everything together in a plastic container until combined. Take a taste and adjust anything you’d like (if too sweet, add more milk, if not sweet enough, add more sweetener, etc.)
2. Set mixture in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. After this time it will be a soft gel, but the longer it sits, the thicker it will get! (You might notice it gelling unevenly or clumping, but just stir it around and the clumps will break up. You can even get a whisk in there if you’re feeling sassy.)
Yum! Nothing like some low-quality iphone pics to get y’all on board the chia train.
Keep your pudding in the fridge and snack on it as you wish! It’s good for about 5-7 days.
Play around: add in some cocoa powder for a chocolate pudding! Throw in some fruit (mashed ripe banana is a personal fave), try yogurt instead of milk! Play around with extracts and flavorings, get creative!
Chias are weird as hell, but I love them dearly. Give them a try and see for yourself! Please let me know what you think 
Have you had chia seeds before? How have YOU used them?
xo,
L
Given all the crazy shit I’ve eaten since going vegan, it’s remarkable that I haven’t tried chia yet. This pudding could totally be my new jam. Maybe it could even be actual jam if I blend in some berries! Thanks for the tip!
Update! I made this pudding according to your recipe, with unsweetened almond milk (also my fav) and agave. It’s really weird and delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe!
I just bought some chia, because my sister had heard it was good, but I wasn’t really sure what we were going to do with it. Now I know! Thank you! I didn’t even have to google it.
Anyone know where I might find chia seeds? I’m not sure what isle they might be in our local grocery store (if they’re even sold there?)
Whole Foods, Wegman’s, any health food stores. I’m not sure I’ve seen them in more common grocery stores, nor do I know where they’d be. I think ground flaxseed is in the baking aisle… maybe? So it might be around there. My local farmer’s market also sells it. Try looking around! I’m sure if you ask customer service in your grocery store, they’ll be able to tell you where it is before you spend hours combing the shelves.
I LOVE CHIA SEEDS. You can just toss some of those bad boys in anything. I’ve never heard of making a pudding out of them – totally trying it this week!
Fun fact: A few months ago, I was cleaning the blender with my “vegetarian sponge” that no one uses by me. I had made a green smoothie with chia seeds. When I took the sponge back out a week or so later, some of the chia seeds had stuck to the sponge AND THEY WERE GROWING. It was the freakiest coolest thing ever. I instagrammed that shit, obviously.
This is amazing! Specially since I just bought a bag of chia seeds. Thank you so so much for the recipe, i’ll comment as soon as I’ve done it.
I’ve seen chia seeds in the supermarket where I work (there are some that are packaged in “chia shots” which always amused me, like you’re supposed to shot these weird seed things) but I never knew what they were used in. I don’t think I’ll try Chia Pudding, weird consistencies freak me out, but I’m willing to try chia in other ways.
Thanks Lauren.
Okay so I tried this recipe with some unsweetened almond milk and cocoa powder, vanilla essence, chia seeds and flaxseed. Amazing, I really loved the consistency of it. Chia for the win, helping us make improvised yogurt-like chocolatey creations for breakfast :3!
Then I wanted to feel as if I was eating cereal, I just added some raw oatmeal in it. Legit.
BAM. Sounds amaze, thanks for sharing, Luciana! And I totes feel you with the raw oats…you can use the chia pudding to make soaked oats like I wrote about in my last post. Hollaaa!
I’m trying soaked cinnamon oats tonight too, obviously with some Chia in it.
Call me crazy, but actually, I don’t feel like the crazy cookie monster eater at night when my mornings begin with some oatmeal-ish breakfast creation.
Or with Protein Pancakes, ever tried those? I made them with egg whites, oatmeal and almond meal (and then some cinnamon, cocoa, flaxseed, etc etc). There’s some whey protein in there too, but I’ve just improvised without it for the past months.