Chia seed pudding

Chia pudding with cherries and coconut flakes

This heat and humidity is feeling a bit stifling, but better with cold chia seed pudding and some of the summer fruit that is currently available, which for me at the moment are sour cherries and black raspberries. I made 2 variations on this recipe so far (cherry-vanilla and chocolate), though the options are endless. The basic recipe is below, and you can modify and add flavors or toppings as you like. It's so easy, and turns out to be nice for a breakfast-y cereal type of thing, or more like a dessert (the chocolate version in particular!). This recipe is mildly sweet to my tastes, so add more if you want something sweeter.

*I don't have a high speed blender, but if you do, you could blend the final product and it will be more like a pudding consistency and less like a chia seed consistency.

Chia Seed Pudding

1/3 c chia seeds

1 can coconut milk

1/3 c. water

1 T maple syrup or honey or sweetener of choice

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla

*If you want it chocolate: add 2 1/2 T cocoa powder

*If you want cherry flavor, add 1/4 c cherry juice

Chocolate chia pudding with black raspberries

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, and let sit for at least 30 minutes, at which time give it another stir. I put mine in the fridge overnight, though if I do that without leaving it out first, the coconut oil separates and creates a firm layer on the top that I mix in later.

Serve with your favorite toppings: berries, sour cherries, bananas, chocolate pieces, coconut flakes, cream, whipped cream, nuts, granola, etc.

Keeps in the fridge for 5-7 days, maybe more, but I have not tested that yet!

Chia-Flax Crackers (Paleo and nut-free)

Well, it turns out I have become an Intermittent Poster. Perhaps that is because I am mostly eating recipes of things I've made before, with a little less culinary creating. But My Charming Companion discovered a new cracker recipe in the last week, and after making 4 batches, I want to preserve the recipe! It doesn't have any nut flours in it (all my previous crackers have used almond flour). This is more of a seed cracker - it's great with butter, with avocado, smoked oysters, and plain. This is the cracker I want to have when I next make gravlox - it seems a bit more rye-like and I imagine the combo to be quite delicious.

Original online recipe is here, My Charming Companion's version is below. These crackers were made on one of those flat edged baking sheets (which makes spreading the mixture really easy).

Chia-Flax Crackers
1/2 c.  flaxseed meal (we grind whole flaxseeds in a coffee grinder)
1/4 c.  chia seeds 
1/4 c. whole flax seeds
1 c. water
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp.  Tamari (or twice that amount of coconut aminos)
1/8 tsp. sea salt

1. In bowl, combine ingredients. Let stand for 10 minutes to thicken.

This is the blob on the parchment covered cookie sheet before spreading.

2. Evenly spread mix on parchment lined baking sheet. This takes some time - you want a thin layer that should cover your entire baking sheet.

You can see how gelatinous the mixture is!

3. Bake at 350°F  for 15 minutes, remove from oven and "cut" into squares (you are scoring more than cutting).
4. Return to oven for 15 minutes, then flip crackers over and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes (the parchment becomes necessary here as your agent to flip the crackers). You can also break them into their individual crackers now. They are done when they are crispy. If you did not have an even spread, some of the thicker crackers may need a few more minutes.

These cool almost immediately and you can eat them right away.

Lemon chia seed pudding

My Charming Companion has been doing lots of blood sugar experimentation of late - he is being vigilant about keeping his blood sugar in check to prevent any possible blood sugar-related health issues. I read one of the books he has about diabetes - it's by this guy who has type 1 diabetes who was an engineer, and later become a doctor just so he could share what he has learned about diabetes and be taken seriously. His information is counter to general diabetic practice - but basically he has found a way for diabetics to live healthy lives. He also purports that diabetes (or what western medicine calls "pre-diabetic") is actually the cause of death for many people, not heart disease or whatever comes after. He says blood sugar issues are the reason, and he has basically found a way to keep blood sugar spikes from happening in diabetics. And it is of course all diet, and self awareness about what particular foods spike a person's particular blood sugar. Which means lots and lots of checking on a glucometer.

Anyway - all this digression to say that My Charming Companion has discovered that he can't really eat many carbs in the afternoons and evenings. So there was some weekend experimentation about what to fry fish in for next month's boundary waters trip (it had been rice flour). Turns out ground up pork rinds mixed with Kraft parmesan cheese works great. (Neither product typically being in the cupboard - but both actually being free of weird added products?!) There was also some pudding experimentation to try to find something sweet to eat (and maybe sans chocolate for night-time caffeine sensitivities).

Which leads me to this post. This recipe does have some honey in it - so if you have blood sugar issues, increase the stevia and eliminate the honey, or if you don't want stevia, increase the honey. It turned out really nice and lemony and creamy. And as chia seeds are - it was super easy.

Lemon Chia Pudding
5 tablespoons chia seeds (I used white)
1 can coconut milk
1/4 c coconut water or water
2 teaspoons honey, plus 4-6 drops stevia
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
pinch salt

Stir all ingredients together in a bowl. Leave out on counter for another 5-10 minutes, stirring two more times and making sure chia seeds are not clumped up. Put in the fridge overnight, or for a couple of hours. The final product will be a little bit soupy and not totally firm. I ate mine with some toasted coconut flakes and some toasted pepitas - yum!