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 have been making kefir for a few years now, I make dairy kefir using organic full fat milk, which I separate into curds & whey, which I use for my skin and hair.
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I also make organic soya kefir and coconut kefir, which is the most delicous thick and creamy probiotic food on the planet!
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Think yoghurt on steroids and you have kefir!
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Yoghurt only contains 2 or 3 strains of probiotics, whereas kefir can have up to 40 different ones, so its the gold standard of probiotic foods!
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Its also the most simple to make!
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I have been experimenting with different plant based milks and have had consistently great results with both Provamel and Sojade organic soya milks.
These contain no emulsifiers or other dodgy additives which can damage the kefir grains. They are purely organic soya beans and water.
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So all you need to make your own delicious plant based kefir is a tablespoon of milk kefir grains and 500mls good quality plant milk.
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Simply add the grains to the milk in a glass jar, give it a stir, cover it with a cloth and give it a shake every few hours to distribute the kefir grains evenly throughout the milk. The grains tend to clump together at the top so shaking the jar helps to move them.
Leave at room temp.
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Then just wait 12 to 18 hours until your kefir has thickened, pour it through a sieve to catch the grains, pour the kefir into a bottle, and put the grains back in the original jar and add more milk to start the process again.
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If you want to slow the process down then just put it into the fridge, then your kefir will be ready in around 3 days! You can see when the kefir starts to form wee whey pockets, if you overferment it, it will separate out into 2 distinct layers. It's still fine to use, it will just be more sour and not quite as delicious, but just give it a good shake to mix it before you strain it to remove the grains.
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I add a strip of lemon peel to my kefir for flavour and extra nutrition. Then I use it in smoothies, poured over fruit, in overnight oats, probiotic chocolate or salad dressing! I have tried blending the kefir with fresh fruit but have found that it separates out and doesn't stay nice and thick. So just blend what you need and drink it right away. 
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Its also more versatile to flavour kefir with lemon, you can then use it in sweet or savoury dishes. Lemon zest is a fabulous source of polyphenols which our gut bacteria love. 
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I use organic lemons to avoid any toxic pesticide residues which may affect the beneficial probiotics.
Also remove all the white pith from the peel, it imparts a bitter taste. All I do is go round a lemon once with a sharp knife to remove a inch or so of peel. I tend to leave the peel in the kefir, it develops more flavour that way.
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Bear in mind if you heat kefir you will kill the probiotics so I tend to use it as it is.
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Kefir will become more sour the longer you leave it so I tend to use mine within 5 to 7 days.
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If its a bit too sour then it makes a great salad dressing blitzed with sun dried tomatoes, basil, fermented garlic and some good quality extra virgin olive oil!
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You can buy kefir grains from Happy Kombucha or ask someone who is already making milk kefir for some grains.
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I use Grace cartons of coconut milk for deliciously thick coconut kefir, which is 75% coconut extract with no additives. It's a bit more expensive but it won't damage your grains.
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Alternatively Aldi cans of full fat coconut milk are also 75% coconut extract and only contain xanthan gum and guar gum, which are actually beneficial for gut health, and can promote the growth of good bacteria in the gut, by acting as a prebiotic food source.
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So by all accounts Aldi coconut milk should be great for the kefir grains! 
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I shall try my kefir grains in Aldi coconut milk for a few weeks and see how they fare!
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So in conclusion, just don't try to make kefir with cartons of plant milk, which are mostly water and dodgy additives, with little food to sustain the kefir grains.
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Like everything else they can adapt but may not do quite as well as they would with their natural food source, which traditionally is lactose from full fat milk.
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The grains also don't grow as vigorously as they would in full fat dairy but so long as they make lovely kefir then it doesn't matter. A tablespoon is enough to make 500mls of kefir every few days, which is enough for most of us.
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​Happy Fermenting!

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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