There’s been a lot of water-cooler chat at BUST HQ these days about chia seeds. I first got hooked on ‘em when I started slurping them down in my favorite bottled kombucha drink. But once I began reading about how great they are for detoxifying the body, and how awesomely nutritious they are—they’ve got more omega-3s than salmon! Plus decent amounts of calcium, protein, fiber, and potassium!—I wanted to work them into my eating routine even more. Right now, I’m loving them as a morning treat in this Blueberry-Banana Chia Pudding recipe from Amber Shea Crawley’s new e-book, The Real Food Cleanse. Just pop these puppies in the fridge with a little water or non-dairy milk before going to bed, and in the morning you’ll have a cool, jelly bowl of yum just waiting to be doctored up with your fave fruits.
Blueberry-Banana Chia Pudding
When you add nutritious chia seeds to liquid, they form a tapioca-pudding-like gel that’s rich in fiber and protein. Fresh fruit provides sweetness, but if the berries and banana don’t add enough flavor for you, finely mince one pitted Medjool date and stir it into the pudding with the blueberries. Coconut and hempseed milk are great nut-free milk options, or you can use almond milk.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 2/3 cup lukewarm nondairy milk or water
- 1 large, very ripe banana, peeled and sliced
- ¾ cup fresh blueberries
- Ground cinnamon, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions:
1. Either the night before or 30 minutes before breakfast, combine the chia seeds and water in a medium bowl and stir together. Either refrigerate overnight, or set aside on the countertop for 30 minutes.
2. The next morning (or 30 minutes later), stir the chia seed mixture. It should have thickened up significantly. Add half the banana slices to the chia seed gel and use a fork to mash them up into a pudding.
3. Top the pudding with the remaining banana slices and the blueberries. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired, and serve immediately.
Nutritional Information:
305 calories, 10 grams fat, 54.9 grams carbs, 6 grams protein
From The REAL FOOD Cleanse: 3 Days to Clean Up and Reset Your Diet by Amber Shea Crawley, (c) 2013. Used with permission.
