So just had to share this! My wee probiotic chia seed pudding was divine!
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Not only is it probiotic, from the soya kefir, its packed with prebiotic fibre from the chia seeds, strawberries & goji berries AND I added a tablespoon of inulin powder to the strawberries to sweeten them up a bit and add extra fibre for my wee gut buddies!
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So this was so simple and SO good, I'm sharing it with all you healthy people!
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I can think of all sorts of wonderful combinations!
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So the key thing is to use enough chia seeds to thicken up your pudding, which is 2 1/2 tablespoons to 1/2 cup of plant milk or kefir. This makes enough for 1 serving! Just mix and put in the fridge for 15 mins to thicken up.
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Then just get creative with fruit, nuts, seeds, coconut, edible flowers, citrus zest or even some nice fruity jam, or anything else you fancy!
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I chopped up some strawberries and added 1 spoonful of inulin powder, then mashed them up a bit. 
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Some vanilla extract would be a lovely addition or also some lemon zest.

So just put a layer of chia pudding in a nice serving glass, add a layer of fruit, then another layer of chia pudding, another layer of fruit, and some healthy or decadent toppings!
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I will be making lots of these, a gut healthy delicious wee treat for me and my gut buddies!!
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Hope you give this a go!
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Here are a few other flavour options;

• Banana and walnut with cinnamon
• Chocolate - add 1 tablespoon of raw cacao, maple syrup, and coconut flakes
• Raspberry and Lemon
• Cashew and Coconut
• Peach and Raspberry
• Blueberry and Lemon

Just use your imagination and use whatever you have available.
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Almond, cashew, soya, hemp or coconut milk would all work well so again just use what you have!
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If you have milk kefir grains, then consider making some plant based kefir to boost the benefits of your wee pudding to superstar status!

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I was gifted some lovely blackcurrants yesterday so made some rather delicious blackcurrant and apple chia jam!

I'm really not a fan of adding loads of sugar to sweeten things up and most commercially produced jams are 50% sugar!! 

However the sugar does more than just sweeten the jam, it also creates a gel with pectin, and preserves the jam, preventing mould, so this jam won't keep as long but chia seeds do a fine job of creating a firm gel like texture.

So I had a couple of eating apples which were lovely and sweet, also apples contain pectin, a preferred fibre source for our gut buddies!

Blackcurrants are a great source of vit C and anthocyanin, a polyphenol which gives food a purple colour and another one of our gut buddies favourites!

My secret ingredient is inulin, a white powder derived from chicory, which just happens to taste sweet and is another preferred source of fibre for our gut microbes!

You can buy a big bag of Inulin powder from most health food shops or Online. Its such an easy thing to add extra prebiotics and natural sweetness to drinks, bread, cakes and cookies. I bought mine from Grape Tree. However don't go overboard, recommended daily dose is 2 teaspoons. So 2 tablespoons in 2 jars of jam is fine. You will have to add another source of sweetness, in addition to the inulin.

Using chia seeds to thicken the jam adds more fibre, protein and good fats!

I added a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup to add a bit more sweetness but you could add honey,  brown rice syrup or coconut sugar, which has minerals!

If you are concerned about adding sugar then the best sugar free option is Stevia, available in powdered or liquid drops. I am not a fan of artificial sweeteners, nor are our gut microbes but Stevia is the best choice available.

So my jam is a feast for my gut microbes, and a treat for my tastebuds without adding loads of empty calories!

Because this jam doesn't contain high levels of sugar, it won't keep as long as traditional jam so
I wouldn't make a big batch. It will only keep for a few weeks in the fridge, so make small batches and if you have lots of blackcurrants or summer berries, then freeze them. Frozen berries work just as well.

Here is my simple recipe.

Ingredients - makes 2 medium jars of jam

• 500g mixed fruit, I used blackcurrants and 2 eating apples
• 2 to 4 tablespoons sweetener of choice
• 2 tablespoons inulin powder (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds

Method

1. Peel, grate or finely dice the apples and add to a small pan with the washed blackcurrants.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of your desired sweetener
3. Cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally until the fruit starts to break down and release some juice. Takes about 10 minutes.
4. Add the inulin (if using) and the chia seeds and stir to mix through
5. Taste and add more sweetener to your preference.
6. Mash or blend the fruit to a jam like consistency.
7. Transfer to clean glass jars
8. Allow to cool then cover with a circle of greaseproof paper and store in the fridge

Enjoy with sourdough toast, scones or swirled into yoghurt or kefir!

 
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 It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas, well it is in our house, apart from the fact that we all have a sore throat, so we've not been singing festive songs as much as usual!
I've been having sea salt baths with lavender and tea tree, downing shots of turmeric, ginger and lemon and eating loads of Immune boosting soup and fermented garlic!
I always use drugs as a last resort once I've given all my natural remedies a chance to work! I'm feeling better but now Kathryn and Laura have a sore throat!! Its always the same at this time of year!

Anyway I'm still in full on festive food mood and have a few more brilliant recipes to share before Christmas!

I came across this recipe on the awesome Kellie Andersons excellent blog food to glow
she has some incredible recipes, mostly plantbased and all delicious and healthy.
Her blog is well worth a look, I love her style of cooking and the flavour she manages to pack into her recipes is amazing!

So back to this great recipe... 

These wee crackers would make a great gift, presented in a wee bag and tied with twine or ribbon. You can be creative and cut out all sorts of shapes. That's the brilliant thing about making your own stuff, you know exactly what the ingredients are and you can personalise most recipes to suit your own tastes and preferences. 

Kids would also love making these and they make a nice change from sweet biscuits covered in icing! These crackers actually taste a little sweet and have a lovely crunch and festive flavour. They would be perfect with a Christmas cheese board (lots of dairyfree vegan cheeses around too) or as an accompaniment to dips or just plain as a wee snack!
The recipe makes lots of crackers so I have frozen half the dough and will make more crackers next week when we've eaten all this batch!

I used avocado oil in mine but olive oil or any mild tasting oil would work. Kellie's original recipe added 50 ml orange juice and the zest of a small orange but I didn't have any so I added a bit more water instead and used 1/2 teaspoon of mixed spice instead of ginger.

The trick is to try and roll the dough out fairly thinly for nice crisp crackers. Just be sure to flour your work surface well or use 2 sheets of greaseproof paper and roll the dough on the paper with one sheet on top. You can then put the greaseproof paper directly onto an oven tray.

I just lightly greased and floured 2 baking trays and the crackers crisped up nicely and didn't stick at all!
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So here is the slightly adapted recipe..

CRANBERRY & HAZELNUT CRACKERS

Ingredients

• 120 g wholemeal flour
• 100g porridge oats
• 50 ml olive, avocado or rapeseed oil
• 50 g chopped hazelnuts, lightly toasted
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds or linseeds
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 25 g dried cranberries, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup, rice syrup or honey
• 120 ml warm water
• 1/2 to 1 tsp mixed spice, cinnamon or ginger

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160 C for a fan oven/ 180 C conventional / 350 F
2. Put the flour, oats, salt, flax seeds and poppy seeds in a large bowl.
3. Toast the hazelnuts for 10 mins in a moderate oven, then cool them and rub them between your fingers to remove the skins. Either put them in a bag and bash them with a rolling pin to break them up. Put a tea towel underneath to deafen the noise!
4. Add the hazelnuts, chopped cranberries and mixed spice to the bowl and mix it all together.
5. Add the oil, syrup and the water and mix until you have a cohesive dough. You can just use your hands for this. Add extra warm water if the dough is a bit dry. Similarly if the dough is too wet or sticky then sift a bit more flour and mix it in until the dough is smooth. It depends on the flour you use, exactly how much water you need but its not crucial to use exact amounts. Just use your own judgement!
6. Put the dough in the fridge for at least 30 mins to firm up and make it easier to roll.
7. Cut the dough into 2 pieces and work with one piece at a time. I actually froze half so just used half the dough which makes plenty of crackers!
8. Dust your work top well with flour and your rolling pin and roll the dough out as thinly as you dare! Cut out shapes using whatever cutters you fancy or if you don't have any cutters you can use the top of a glass dipped in flour or just roll the dough into a rectangle shape then using a sharp knife mark the dough into squares, rectangles or fingers.
9. Transfer your crackers to a lightly oiled and floured baking tray and bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, turning the trays halfway through to bake evenly. 
10. Cool on a cooling rack then store in a tupperware container, where they will keep happily for around 2 weeks, if they last that long!!

                   .....your health in your hands.....