We talk about the chia seeds a lot here at Kaia FIT. They are a powerhouse of nutrition.
2 tablespoons of chia seeds contains:
- Fiber: 11 grams.
- Protein: 4 grams.
- Fat: 9 grams (5 of which are omega-3s).
- Calcium: 18% of the RDI.
- Manganese: 30% of the RDI.
- Magnesium: 30% of the RDI.
- Phosphorus: 27% of the RDI.
- They also contain a decent amount of zinc, vitamin B3 (niacin), potassium, vitamin B1 (thiamine) and vitamin B2.
I am always looking for ways to add them into my diet: Smoothies, added to kombucha or my green drinks, sprinkled over the top of banana nice cream and in oatmeal for my boys. Today I decided to make chia seed pudding. I need something fast in the morning as my life is super busy. I can make up enough for the week on Sunday evening and breakfast is covered. Routines are super important in healthy living. So knowing that every day this is what I am eating for breakfast, or every day I am eating x amount of fruit or veggies makes your life super easy.
Most don’t want to start their day with something cold during the Fall/Winter months so I have a little tip for you and this just applies to if you want to keep this dish raw vegan. If that doesn’t concern you then you could heat it up in the microwave- just until warm. For those of us sticking to a raw vegan plan you could put the pudding in a dehydrator for about 30 minutes. This would only work with a dehydrator that has removable trays like the Excalibur. That way you could remove a tray to accomodate a bowl.
The recipe utilizes cashew butter (recipe posted last week here) you could also use raw almond butter instead.
Ingredients:
4 tbsp raw cashew butter or raw almond butter
6 medjool dates that were soaked for 30 minutes in warm water (reserve water)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups of water/date soaking liquid
Pit your dates. Put ingredients into blender and blend until smooth. Taste and see if you would like more cinnamon. You do not need to filter through a nut milk bag.
To make the chia seed pudding.
9 heaping tbsps chia seeds
all the nut milk you just made
Stir this up in a bowl and pour into 8 ounce mason jars to about 1 inch from the top. You should get about 4. Put the lid on and shake, then put in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. If it is too thin you could add more chia seeds.
Top with frozen blueberries, a drizzle of maple syrup, coconut shreds etc..
Recipe by Raw Chef Debra Garner
To learn more about the raw food/plant-based diet and Debra’s services please visit her website.
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