I recently discovered the miracles of chia seeds (beyond creating shaggy pets for irresponsible children). Turns out, they are actually really good for you, and much more socially acceptable to eat then the family pet. Rich in antioxidants, protein, fibre, and omega 3 fatty acids, they are also almost completely tasteless. The key is to turn chia seeds into chia gel. Take 1 tablespoon of dry chia seeds and mix it with 9 tablespoons of water. Stir it occasionally, and in about 15 minutes, those seeds and water will have turned into a recognizable gel.
The only problem, is that this gel looks almost exactly like frog spawn. While I have fond memories of collecting frog spawn in my younger days, it was never something I had the slightest desire to eat. We used to gather frog spawn around local lakes and creeks and transport it into the backyard pond, so that they would hatch into tadpoles. We would then name them clever things like ‘Peanut’ (cause that’s what tadpoles look like to young children), and ‘Rajah’ (cause Aladdin had just come out).
Chia Seeds + Water:
Chia Seeds + Water + Time= Chia gel:
It may be difficult to tell the difference in pictures, but the texture does completely change over a short time. Here are some different ways to use chia seeds (although you can add them to pretty much anything to make healthier):
- Sub chia gel for half of the butter/oil, or eggs in baking
- Add to stews to thicken
- Blend into smoothies
- Stir into mixed fruit/juice to create a ice cream/yogurt topping
- Use as a binding agent in burgers/meatballs
[...] and dehydrated. I’ve only made steel-cut oats a handful of times, the latest with a spoon of chia seed gel mixed in. Cooked at the same ratio to normal porridge (about 1 part oats to 2-3 parts water), its [...]
[...] Tbls of chia seed gel [...]