New Food: Chia Seeds

Have you heard of Chia Seeds?  I learned abou them today from Katie Lee on the Early Show.  She made a pudding.  The recipe was simple but it peaked my curiosity so I bought some at Whole Foods along with a carton of vanilla flavored Almond milk to give them a try.

In my opinion it didn't make pudding but it did make a thicker almond milk with tiny soft beads like tapioca pudding, hence where they probably got the idea they were making pudding. Problem was it is too runny. So what I do is add a tablespoon of seeds to a cup of almond milk, let it sit for a few minutes to puff up and drink. The Stevia isn't needed because the vanilla almond milk is sweet enough.  It is a delicious sweet snack treat when you are having a sweet tooth attack. You can also add them to cereal, yogurt, smoothies, salads or in baked goods.

Best part of all it is they are good for you. Chia Seeds are rich in Omega-3 and fiber both of which are important for good health. They have a neutral taste, 4 g of dietary fiber, 2.4g of Omega-3, higher in Antioxidant activity then blueberries and rich in essential fatty acids.  If you don't eat a lot of salmon, walnuts or flax seed, chia seeds give you another option.

After looking it up on Wikipedia to learn more this is what I found.

Salvia hispanica, commonly known as Chia, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae, native to central and southern Mexico and Guatemala.  Folklore attests it was cultivated by the Aztec in pre-Colombian times, and was so valued that it was given as an annual tribute by the people to the rulers. It is still used in Mexico and Guatemala, with the seeds sometimes ground, while whole seed is used for nutritious drinks and as a food source

Nutritional Breakdown:  In a one ounce (28 g) sample, chia seeds contain 9% of the Daily Value for protein, 13% oil (57% of which is ALA) and 42% dietary fiber, based on a daily intake of 2000 calories.  The seeds also contain the essential minerals, phosphorus, manganese, calcium, potassium and sodium.

This was the original pudding recipe.

Chia Seed Pudding
2 T. chia seeds
2 C. almond milk (I used vanilla flavored almond milk)
Vanilla-flavored Stevia liquid (I did not buy this)

In a bowl, combine chia seeds and almond milk. Stir in a few drops of stevia. Let stand 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.