Psstt…If you haven’t tried chia pudding yet, this post is for you. Yes, you. It’s the holy grail of health foods. It’s so incredibly filling & nourishing & packed to the brim with almost everything your body needs. But if you don’t like carrot cake- hmmm.. perhaps you should omit the “topping”. Because it’s truly the “healthification” of carrot cake. Wait- that’s not even a word. But if you follow this blog, you know that on occasion, I tend to make up words (albeit with full disclosure). I hope you’re alright with ALL of the above.
Chia. Funny-sounding single syllable word, funny-looking seeds (incredibly small- either black or white in color) and the texture once you soak them in liquid is a bit funny, too. They’re slimy, almost like a jelly or jam. But the good news is; they’re not funny-tasting! They truly are virtually tasteless. They are a chameleon, they will taste like whatever you want them to taste. And you can pick you array of healthy toppings at will, thus customizing your pudding. And reap all the health benefits of this nutrient-dense powerhouse… Isn’t that like THE best deal? You make pudding that tastes like whatever you like and you can nourish yourself at the same time. I dive right in!
So why not make chia seed pudding that tastes like carrot cake? Done! Because who doesn’t like carrot cake? We’re about to talk carrot cake; raw moist, chewy carrot cake to be exact.
If you love carrot cake as much as I do, apart from possibly being spirit animals… You’re going to thoroughly enjoy this recipe! I relied on the magic of chewy, sticky Medjool dates for sweetness, the crunch of roasted almonds & freshly grated carrots, the creaminess of almond or coconut milk soaked chia seeds, a hint of pure maple syrup for that deep molasses-like flavour, & a bit of cinnamon for that warmth.
Carrot Cake Chia Seed Pudding
Chia Pudding Ingredients
- 2 cups of almond or coconut milk *carrageenan free
- 1/2 cup of chia seeds (I love black, organic chia seeds)
- 1-2 tbsp of pure maple syrup (I use 1 tbsp) You could also sub with any natural sweeteners like stevia.
- 1 tsp of pure vanilla powder or vanilla extract
Carrot Cake Topping Ingredients
- 1/3 cup of roasted OR raw almonds (I actually love this w/roasted, salted almonds)
- 1/3 cup of pitted medjool dates (about 6 dates)
- 1 carrot, chopped or sliced.
- 1 tbsp of coconut oil
- 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix nut milk of your choice with vanilla & pure maple syrup. You could whisk or blend for better integration.
- Add the chia seeds & stir well. Let it sit for another 10-15 mins. Give it another stir, cover & let them soak overnight inside your fridge or for at least 4 hours.
- The following morning or a few hours later when the pudding has set, it’s time to prepare the topping. Throw all the topping ingredients into a food processor & pulse for about 1 min.
- Add the topping to each glass or bowl, on top of the pudding.
For an extra bit of deliciousness, you could “top the topping”. Yes, there is such a thing! A dollop of coconut yogurt or tofu cream cheese will make this to die for! I in fact had the leftover topping with 1/2 cup of coconut yogurt and it was hea-ven-ly. If you consume dairy, greek yogurt with this topping or 3% grass-fed yogurt would make you swoon.
Pudding de Chia con Sabor a Pastel de Zanahorias
Ingredientes
- 2 tazas de leche de almendras o leche de coco
- 1/2 taza de semillas de chia
- 1-2 cucharadas de jarabe de maple puro
- 1 cucharadita extracto de vainilla o polvo de vainilla
Para el Topping de Pastel de Zanahoria
- 1/3 taza de almendras crudas o rostizadas ( a mi me gustan las rostizadas con una pizca de sal de mar)
- 1/3 taza de dátiles medjool, sin semilla
- 1 cucharada de aceite de coco de buena calidad
- una pizca de canela
- 1 zanahoria grande en trozos
Instrucciones
- En un plato sopero agregar la leche, la vainilla y el jarabe de maple. Mezclar bien a mano o en la licuadora.
- Agregar las semillas de chia y mezclar bien a mano. Dejar reposar por 10 mins y luego mezclar a mano otra vez. Cubrir con papel de aluminio o ponerlas en un recipiente con tapa y meterlas a la refrigeradora toda la noche o por lo menos por 4 horas
- Para preparar el topping de pastel de zanahoria: mezclar todos los ingredientes en tu procesador de comida y pulsar por aprox 1 minuto. Luego se le deja caer al pudding o budín como decimos nosotros.
También podemos agregar “topping al topping”. Si, hay tal cosa en este blog! Se le puede poner una cucharada de yogurt de coco, o yogurt griego, o queso crema de tofu. Para los que consumen lácteos, con yogurt griego natural o sabor a vainilla queda muy bien. Me comí lo que me sobro del topping de zanahoria solo 1/2 taza de yogurt de coco y estaba buenísimo! Que lo disfruten. Algo dulce, muy rico, y con zero azúcar refinada y todos los beneficios nutricionales de las semillas de chia!
