Friday, March 11, 2011

Chia Goo.

When Andy goes away, I get the idea that I should buy grocery items that are a little bit fancy - to treat myself, and since we save heaps on groceries (since I alone don't eat even half as much as we eat together) anyways, it just makes sense.  And then I wander through the grocery store, picking up things like biscuits or fancy nuts, and putting them back on the shelves.  And I walk out with a few potatoes and some tofu, or something similar. 




When Andy was away in January, though, I followed through.  I bought a jar of chia seeds. 

Then I went home and googled them.  Apparently they are very good for you, but I won't rehash the nutritional stuff here because I'm no nutritionist!  I also read that the best way to make use of them was to soak 1/3 c. of seeds in 2 c. of water.  Kept in a jar in the fridge, this supposedly lasts for at least three weeks.

Well, mixing chia and water is exactly the preparation for growing chia pets, and if you have ever done that, you may remember the gooey slime that is created from this simple mix of two ingredients.  It's kind of cool, more so than gross.

I added some to smoothies, but then we had a cyclone and bananas became ridiculously expensive, so smoothies stopped happening in my kitchen.  So I've been eating my chia goo on granola, and on breakfast brown rice pudding. 

My first jar went off when we lost power for 5 days, which we expected.  But then I made up another batch and in two weeks it had a sour milk smell.  Maybe I just need to make smaller batches...

10 comments:

Millie said...

another great and healthy food to eat...fabulous.

Hannah said...

I think I need to buy a different brand of chia seeds, as mine refuse to gel up properly unless I heat them in liquid first. 'Tis weird. Have you only been mixing them with straight water? That's hardcore, I'm more about the sweeteners myself ;)

Theresa said...

I do mix with straight water, but I don't eat them straight. My goo goes on top of granola and stuff, where it sort of mixes in. I don't think I'd be willing to eat it in blob form!

Vegan ninja said...

I drink them, two teaspons of seeds for one liter of water. That way the goo isnt noticeable, here in Mexico the chia seed/lemon water is very famous and tasty.

aimee said...

Looks great. I really like chia! Have a nice weekend!

Emma said...

Use them as an egg replacement in muffins and things :) Much less effort than grinding flax seeds. I usually do 1 tbsp chia to about 3 tbsp water. I also put them in muesli bars and un-gelled on top of cereal :)

Jamie G said...

I bought some (shelf stable) apple juice weeks ago, planning to use to soak chia seeds to make a tasty pudding, but I haven't done it yet. I will endeavour to do it tonight! ;)

Do you soak yours in tap water or filtered water? I've noticed that leftover tofu kept in filtered water lasts for much longer than when we used to use tap water.

Theresa said...

Oh good call, Jamie. I'll try filtered water and see if that makes a difference :)

shawna said...

I usually just soak mine for 10 min before I use them in smoothies or whatever I'm using them for. Sometimes I just sprinkle them dry ontop of things for added nutrition (although I think your body absorbs less of the nutrients when they're dry).

Vaala ◪ said...

Does it taste good? I keep hearing it's healthy which is all well and good but no one seems to be telling me how it tastes!