Every morning this week I've treated myself to a big bowl of chia pudding. Sometimes I make it with almond milk (1/4 cup chia + 3/4 cup milk and stir), but today I made it with hazelnut milk and made a delicious apple compote to top it off.
The hazelnut milk is sweet and nutty and the fruit compote is bright and tangy...and they work together nicely.
Hazelnut Milk
- 1 cup hazelnuts (also known as filberts)
- 2 cups water
- blend on high for 1.5 minutes
- Let it sit in the blender for 5 minutes (or longer) to enhance the nutty flavor of your milk.
- Strain the mixture through a nut-milk bag or strainer.
- This will yield 2 cups of milk. It will last in the fridge for 4 days
The Chia Pudding
Put a 1/4 cup chia and 3/4cup hazelnut milk in a bowl, then mix it up with a whisk or fork until the seeds are well incorporated. They will get clumpy if you don't keep stirring.
It will take about 10 minutes to 'gel' and get pudding-like.
You can experiment with the consistency of how thick you want it or how much you want by adding more chias or more milk, but the general ratio is 3:1 (Milk:Chia). You can add vanilla and agave to the pudding to sweeten if eating the pudding alone (which is quite yummy!), but the below compote is nicely not-too-sweet and does the trick without adding any extra sugars.
CompoteIn a food processor put:
- 2 large cored and chopped fresh red apples (any sweet red variety will work)
- a handful of sultanas
- a handful of dried fruit of your choice - I used dried plouts, but apricots or cherries are nice too.
- The juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/2 tablespoon on agave - optional
- Pulse the ingredients several times until you have a chunky compote that suits you.
The compote will last for one week refrigerated - so you can make a bigger batch if you like!
It also is nice on top of goat yogurt and butternut squash soup!
Benefits of Chia Seeds:
Chia seed is high in highly asborbable calcium. 5 times the calcium of milk, 631 mg per 100 grams of seed.
Chia seed is very high in protein, with 18 grams per 100 grams of seed - this recipe (1/4 cup of chia) has 8 grams of 100% bio-available plant-based protein!
The optimum ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 should be 3:1. Chia seed provides that ratio.
Chia seed is also high in fiber - this recipe (1/4 cup of chia) has 14 grams of fiber!
Chia seed is hydrophilic. Absorbing up to 14 times
(Mix @ 9-10 times) its weight in water. This helps extend energy and endurance. Make sure you are well hydrated before eating this pudding and it will keep you hydrated and energized for hours!
Chia seed is rich in antioxidant oils.
Chia contains chlorogenic acid, and caffeic acid as well as myricetin, quercetin, and kaempferol flavonols.
These compounds are both primary and synergistic antioxidants that contribute to the strong antioxidant activity of chia.
Chia seed is also low in sodium. Only 19 mg per 100 grams.
Click here to buy Chia on Amazon.com at a great price - 2 lbs for $12.49 (almost 1/2 of what it sells for at the market.....if your market even sells it). I also buy it from www.rawfoodworld.com - which is hands down, my favorite site for everything that supports a raw food living diet!
