I used to giggle about Chia Pets when someone mentioned chia seeds, but I finally got around to playing with them (the seeds, that is) in the kitchen, and I now consider myself a fan. Chia seeds take on the consistency of tapioca when soaked in a liquid, which means that they can make a gooey dessert out of almost anything. There are about a billion recipes out there for chia seed pudding, and most of them use coconut milk. This is my personal favorite combination, but I encourage you to experiment using other tidbits from the Web.
Ch-ch-ch-chia!
- 1/4 cup coconut milk (I used full-fat; I assume that a light one won’t set as well)
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 1/2 cup milk of your choice (I used Silk Light Original Soy Milk)
- 1 tbsp real maple syrup (I shouldn’t even have to specify that you need to use the “real” kind… kids these days!)
- 1 heaping tbsp shredded dried coconut (mine was sweetened)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- Fruit, if you wish; berries and raisins are both good options
Combine all of the ingredients in a jar with a lid. You can actually choose to leave the fruit out until just before you eat the pudding, depending on how you feel about texture. (Things that sit in liquid for long periods are likely to change, who knew?) The last step of these two very complicated steps is to refrigerate the pudding for at least a few hours, if not overnight, until the seeds have expanded and a pudding-y consistency has been achieved. Tada!
PhD Kitchen 