It took me a while to like chia pudding. Once I found the right recipe, I became a true fan. It’s all about using a great milk to make the chia pudding and adding different textures to balance the soft jelly-like consistency of the pudding. This one has a lovely mix of flavors and textures: tart, sweet, soft, chewy, creamy and crunchy. Plus there is the added benefit of kefir, a super probiotic food that’s really good for your gut.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup vanilla kefir *
- 1/4 cup almond milk **
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/2 chopped green apple
- 1/4 cup blueberries (fresh or defrosted)
Preparation:
- Combine the kefir and almond milk in a bowl
- Stir in the chia seeds and continue stirring regularly until the seeds swell up
- Place in the fridge for at least 20 minutes or overnight
- Before serving, top with the chopped apple and fresh or defrosted blueberries
- You can add other toppings of your choice such as cacao nibs, mulberries, chopped nuts, etc.
* After the initial 24-hour fermentation, remove the kefir grains and scrape out ½ a vanilla bean pod. Add the vanilla seeds and mix well. Allow this to ferment for another 6 hours and then place the kefir in the fridge. This adds a lovely vanilla flavor and helps to mellow out the taste of the kefir.
** Homemade almond milk:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup almonds, soaked for 8-12 hours, rinse and drain
- 4 cups of purified water
- 3 pitted dates, soaked in a bit of hot water for 10-15 minutes
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
- pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt
Preparation:
- Combine the almonds and water in a blender and process until smooth
- Squeeze the mixture through a cloth mesh bag, nut milk bag or cheesecloth into a large bowl
- Rinse the blender and put the milk back along with the remaining ingredients
- Process until smooth
- Store in glass bottles in the fridge for up to 5 days
(recipe from Sunita Vira, raw food chef and owner of the Raw Food Center in Chicago)
