 So just had to share this! My wee probiotic chia seed pudding was divine!
. 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! . So this was so simple and SO good, I'm sharing it with all you healthy people! . I can think of all sorts of wonderful combinations! . 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. . Then just get creative with fruit, nuts, seeds, coconut, edible flowers, citrus zest or even some nice fruity jam, or anything else you fancy! . I chopped up some strawberries and added 1 spoonful of inulin powder, then mashed them up a bit. . 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! . I will be making lots of these, a gut healthy delicious wee treat for me and my gut buddies!! . Hope you give this a go! . Here are a few other flavour options;
Just use your imagination and use whatever you have available. . Almond, cashew, soya, hemp or coconut milk would all work well so again just use what you have! . 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
Method
Enjoy with sourdough toast, scones or swirled into yoghurt or kefir!   This is quite simply the most delicious thing ever!! I think I invented it, and boy it’s a really great invention!
JUST 3 STEPS 1-Melt 2 bars of dark chocolate (200g) with a tablespoon coconut oil. I use 75% or 80% cacao solids chocolate from Aldi. Let it cool a bit, then add ¼ to ½ cup coconut kefir or 75 to 100mls coffee kombucha. Mix it well then pour onto a baking tray, lined with greaseproof paper. You can substitute a good quality yoghurt or kefir if you don’t make your own but look for one with the most probiotic strains and avoid ones with lots of added sugar! 2- Pour the chocolate mixture onto the tray, smooth it out a bit, then sprinkle liberally with toppings of your choice! A wee sprinkling of sea salt is a great addition, goji berries, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, nuts, hemp seeds, coconut, dried fruit all work well. 3- Transfer to the freezer and freeze until solid then break into pieces and enjoy. This is best enjoyed straight from the freezer! You can up the ante on the health benefits by adding ½ tsp maca, lúcuma or baobob powder with the kefir or kombucha. Janice xx |
Janice
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