Blackberry Almond Chia Pudding

Dallas faced it’s 2nd round of snow last week and it’s been really nice hibernating once again (read: popcorn and house of cards). I mean what else can you do right…right? While comfort food is great, I am ready for berries and tomatoes you guys.  Blackberries are not in season but I spotted them at the store and since this is the closest I can get to summer for now, I had to bring those babies home. Normally, I like berries with granola and yogurt but after eating a few of them straight from the container, I made “Blackberry Almond Chia Pudding”. Chia pudding is old news but this is ‘officially’ my first recipe here. It’s a perfect breakfast, portable may I add…and for all my sweet tooth (ers), this is a good dessert and a snack.

Chia seeds, once a staple in the diets of ancient Mayans and Aztecs for strength and stamina is now popular amongst athletes and health-conscious folks as it’s touted for being a superfood and in my personal, chia seeds are a superfood…It is packed with fiber (5 grams per tablespoon), 3 grams of protein, 5 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fats mostly from heart-healthy polyunsaturated, omega-3 and monounsaturated fatty acids. Due to the fiber content in chia seeds, it swells when combined with water (or liquid) creating a gel, pudding-like texture such as in Blackberry Almond Chia Pudding.

I have not personally tried but chia gel can also be used as a substitute for eggs in many baked goods. Use approximately one tablespoon of chia seeds (ground) + 3 tablespoon water to replace one large egg in your baked goods (read more here for other vegan egg substitutes).

I used vanilla almond milk (use any other milk of your choice) and crushed blackberries to soak chia seeds. Depending upon the sweetness of berries, drizzle little honey (or any other sweetener of your choice) and forget about it for few hours to overnight until your Blackberry Almond Chia Pudding is ready. 

So, if you are in a breakfast rut or sick of winter blues – do yourself a favor and make this refreshing Blackberry Almond Chia Pudding. It’s like eating overnight oatmeal except that you get to eat pudding for breakfast full of wholesome, good for you ingredients! 

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The mild, nutty flavor of chia seed works well with smoothies (vegan cherry chia smoothie), toppings for salads (spring green salad with pomegranate and blood orange vinaigrette), oatmeal, and a refreshing drink called chia fresca.