Chia seeds (Salvia Hispanica) or Golden Chia (Salvia Columbariae) are part of a new food group/trend called superfoods. These are foods that are considered exceptionally nutrient dense.
These are a great post or pre-party snack for Ibiza clubbers. They are the perfect food for long-distance endurance dancing. Besides being high in Omega-3's, calcium and protein, benefits include increased hydration, and slowing down the absorption of glucose into the system.
The Pets
If any of you reading this are a child of the 70's and 80's and you are North American you will have seen the ridiculous ads for Chia Pets. You can see them on YouTube. A Chia Pet was a clay pot that was shaped like a dog, cat, sheep or some other hairy creature. You received your little pottery pot and watered it. In a few days your pet grew green Chia sprout hair. How exciting! Ch-ch-ch-chia pet.
There was a brief moment after Sea Monkeys and before Cabbage Patch dolls when these were actually all the rage. But no one suggested you eat your pet's hair because it was a nutrient dense superfood.
To this day there are still Chia Pets. There is a guy in the states who sells presidential candidate Chia Pets. The pottery pot is a bust of the candidate and the Chia seeds form the hair. Whichever candidates' clay-likeness sells best predicates who will win the election. Needless to say the Obama Chia Afro Pet won hands down. This is also viewable on YouTube. I want one.
Though I had heard of Chia seeds as the newest latest greatest my previous association with them made me mostly ignore them. Once, I did try sprinkling them on my food but found the seeds hard and like poppy seeds got stuck in my teeth as well as being unpleasantly flavoured.
So, having ignored Chia's new incarnation as a great food I would still be ignorant but for that one day, when on a TV show I was cooking for, a laid-back television producer from L.A., the North American epicenter of health food trends, came and asked my co-worker to make him a Chia seed pudding for breakfast. He instructed her to soak a few tablespoons of seeds in a cup of rice milk overnight. He asked her to add raisins, sweetener and cinnamon.
The next morning the little seeds had swelled and developed a mucilaginous coating much like flax seeds do. I tasted the ‘pudding' and was instantly in love. If you like tapioca pudding you will like this. Everyone loves this pudding, especially children. I have only met one person who did not like this dessert, though she liked the flavour, she just didn't like the texture.
This pudding is dead easy. There is no cooking and the recipe lends itself to almost any flavour profile. The long soaking removes any odd flavour from the seeds.
This recipe is a base. The rest of the recipe is bounded only by your imagination.
Basic CHIA SEED Pudding Recipe - Feeds 4
2/3-cup Chia seeds
2 cups unsweetened soymilk, almond milk, rice milk, coconut milk or any milk, cream or milk substitute of your liking. Actually, you can even use water.
1-3 Tbs. sweetener of your choice.
Soak the seeds overnight. In the morning stir the seeds and check the texture. You may need to add more liquid or a few more seeds. This is personal preference.
As well, if you don't want the tapioca texture you can blend the mix (very thoroughly) and you will have a mousse-like consistency. If you add more liquid to the blended seeds you can make a super yummy smoothie.
Add your extra bits: Spices, fruits, nuts, chocolate or whatever.
Spoon into dishes and serve!
In Ibiza
In Ibiza, Chia seeds have been discovered and embraced. I have found them in all the islands health food shops, some of the better independent supermarkets and at the Asian market.
Maili Dinim is a Yoga Instructor and Natural Food Chef. She can be contacted via MailiDinim.com
