Chia Seed Pudding with Pomegranates and Kiwi

To me, chia seed pudding seems so bizarre. I mean, who looked at their chia pet and said, “I bet I can make a great pudding from these seeds!”? Nothing about a chia pet appears to be edible let alone appetizing. And yet, here I am, experimenting with chia seeds for breakfast and desserts.

Because it’s Christmas time, I wanted to create something festive using seasonal fruits. That means pomegranates and kiwis were first on my list of toppings to use for maximum food styling points. I have created versions of this for Thanksgiving as well using pomegranate and persimmons and pears. You could go really crazy and use figs and dates and chopped toasted nuts. Anyway, the options are endless and I strongly encourage you to use your imagination.

You can make this pudding with milk, water, or juice rather than almond milk, but keep in mind that the absorption rates differ quite a bit depending on the liquid you choose, so you’ll need to be willing to experiment or search the web for other recipes where someone has done it successfully.

There is a wide variety of flavored almond milk on the market as well, so if that’s what you are using, cut back on the maple syrup and the vanilla. I recommend always using plain unflavored almond milk so that you have control of the flavor, but hey, you do you, okay?

In other news, but still related to chia seed pudding, my kids are in love with this recipe. I suspect it is because they live for pomegranate seeds, but I’ll take it. Anytime I can get my kids to embrace something as nutritionally action packed as chia seeds, I take the win.

Please enjoy the recipe and use it all year long with whatever is in season. Use the comments section to let me know what you are putting in your chia seed pudding these days.

Happy Holidays and Namaste!

This article originally published on www.groundingup.com. 

Print Recipe
Chia Seed Pudding with Pomegranates and Kiwi
Vegan chia seed pudding with pomegranates and kiwi fruit. Almond milk, chia seeds, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, salt. Top with your favorite fruits or nuts. Here we used pomegranates and kiwi because it was Christmas.
chia seed pudding
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine Vegan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Passive Time 12 hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups almond milk plain, unflavored
  • 1/3 cup chia seeds food grade
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup you can also use agave nectar or regular sugar and adjust accordingly
  • 2 sticks cinnamon or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon if you don't have sticks
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla or to taste
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine Vegan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Passive Time 12 hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups almond milk plain, unflavored
  • 1/3 cup chia seeds food grade
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup you can also use agave nectar or regular sugar and adjust accordingly
  • 2 sticks cinnamon or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon if you don't have sticks
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla or to taste
chia seed pudding
Instructions
  1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well mixed and chia seeds have absorbed some liquid. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for about 12 hours. You'll know it's ready when the consistency is thick and the chia seeds have a light halo around them.
    chia seed pudding ingredients
  2. chia seed pudding combined
Recipe Notes

I have often mixed this in a large mason jar. You can dump it all into the jar, give it a good shake, put the lid on and toss it in the refrigerator. This makes more than one service and it's nice to have a container with a lid to store it in. Just a thought. Enjoy.

Vegetarian Pasta e Fagioli

This recipe for vegetarian pasta e fagioli is developed from a classic recipe that almost always starts with bacon in the bottom of the pot. And while bacon is indeed delicious, I am sorry to say that it is not an ingredient included in vegetarian and vegan cuisine. So with that said, I offer you this vegetarian (if you leave out the parmesan cheese, even vegans can eat this) version of a delicious and easy Italian favorite.

Print Recipe
Vegetarian Pasta e Fagioli
A vegetarian version of a classic Italian recipe for pasta and beans in tomato sauce.
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 min
Cook Time 45 min
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 min
Cook Time 45 min
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, preferably with a heavy bottom, sauté on medium heat the olive oil the mushrooms, onion, and garlic for about 5-7 minutes or until the onions become soft and translucent.
  2. Add the other vegetables and the herbs to the pot and sauté for another 5 minutes on medium heat.
  3. Add the tomato puree and the vegetable stock and bring it to a simmer.
  4. Add the beans and the pasta and simmer until the pasta is cooked through. I usually add a cup or two of water at this point to help the pasta cook.
  5. When the pasta is al dente the soup is finished. Serve in bowls with crusty bread and shaved parmesan unless you are vegan, then skip the cheese, obviously:-)