Recipe for Chia Seed Pudding

Okay, I'll admit it.  I was a little dubious about all the buzz around chia seeds.  I mean, in my day, we all had chia pets-those ceramic pigs, dogs etc that grew fuzzy when you watered them.  Remember?

But, I kept reading recipes with chia seeds and articles about the health benefits of chia seeds (fiber, protein, omega fatty acids).  Dr. Oz is talking about them and says they are one of the five supplements we all need to know about.   So one day when I saw a bag at Whole Foods, I impulsively threw it in the buggy.

So now what?  Well, the first thing I did was substitute chia seeds for flax seeds in one of my favorite bread recipes.  It turned out great.   Couldn't say that the taste was any different but the chia seeds were more visible than the flax seeds and made a nice looking loaf.

Here's a website with some info on chia seeds as well as recipes.  I took one of their pudding recipes and simplified it and was surprised how good it was!  Sort of like tapioca pudding, but better to me (Mr. ELEB would disagree, he LOVES tapioca pudding).


Yield: 3 servings
Time: 5 minutes (plus overnight-mine went about 18 hours)


Ingredients:
1/3 cup chia seeds
1 cup light vanilla soy milk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract


Optional for serving:
Finely chopped nuts
Dried fruits
Dollop of fat free whipped cream (or the real thing)


Method:
Mix seeds, milk, and vanilla together.
Chill overnight in the fridge.
Serve with optional ingredients as desired.


Pretty easy and has a good taste and texture.  The calorie count, if you count, is about 150 per serving before any optional stuff, so not too bad and good quality calories at that.

Just mixed

After overnight in fridge

Served

So, I'll be looking to try more recipes with chia seeds.  Have you made anything with them?

Printable recipe