The Chia is in the Pudding!

Or is it in the cereal?

I know it is in my smoothies and salads.

This is one of my favorite superfoods. Chia is good in so many things and is so good for you.  In this link, there is a good explanation of what these seeds are, reasons to eat them, as well as what you can add to them.

I have read about people using then to make a cereal, make a gel with them, and also pudding, so today I gathered my ingredients of choice and decided to experiment. Cereal was my goal.

I combined:

• 3 Tbl Chia Seeds
• 1/2 cup Almond Milk
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 vanilla
• 2 Tbl raisons

I mixed it all together and let it sit long enough to let the raisins plump up and soften, and for the mixture to  thicken.  After 10 minutes it was pretty thick, and after 20 minutes it was so thick a fork stood up in it!

I divided the amount this made into two bowls. It was really pretty thick. The second bowl is in the refrigerator and I will see what it is like tomorrow.  This will be my test to see if I can make this ahead of time.

Can you tell by the above picture how thick this mixture became?

I have to say I loved this! I added fresh blueberries (that are huge) and some chopped walnuts, and then topped it all off with more almond milk. It could be topped off with any fruit.  Make it with more liquid and maybe you wouldn't need to add more milk. The texture reminded me of tapioca. It was kind of like eating a dessert, but I am calling this a cereal. I didn't need any sweetener, but you could add honey or agave if needed.

I would encourage you to check out the value of Chia Seeds for yourself and give them a try.

Here are two more links you might find helpful:

http://www.living-foods.com/articles/chia.html  and

http://www.nutsonline.com/cookingbaking/chia-seeds/premium.html