Chia Seeds with Food – Good Food First!
Sure you can add Chia Seeds to many foods, like muffins or rolls; but can you make it taste like ‘Good Food’? That’s the big question!
You don’t just throw a handful of Chia Seeds in your batter and expect it to turn out perfectly when your timer on the oven goes off. You may find that the chewiness or the glutenous nature of these seeds prevails and simply doesn’t satisfy you or those who share your culinary creations.
Many people find it better to grind the Chia Seeds and use the meal to add texture and nutrients to their favorite dough mix. You need to consider the bulk and make sure it is not too dense when you substitute some meal for flour or other seeds, nuts, or dried fruit.
You can find numerous recipes online now at websites which sell Chia Seeds or Salba. Muffins, biscuits, and cakes are easily enhanced with the seed as long as you make sure what you begin with is going to do well with the other ingredients and the baking time.
One of the original uses of Chia Seeds was to let the seeds soak in water and then the gelatinous mixture would be guzzled down, supplying both protein and carbohydrate more readily along with giving a sense of fullness that only the gel can provide. This might not be your cup of chia! Beware of the gel…
A spice grinder will do the trick for pulverizing the seeds and you can store the meal for quite some time in the freezer, but don’t leave it out in the air or light where it will go rancid.
If people want some of my favorite recipes; then perhaps that can be arranged. I know that Dr. Oz tries to find someone on his staff that can whip up something edible, but it helps to have years of experience with seeds.
I have one Raw Food recipe which combines several different seeds and other whole grains to make a cracker that is the ‘talk of the town’ in foodie circles.
Chia is worth the time to locate recipes and beverage ideas that blend nutrition with texture and fun! I would rather drink my Chia than grow a Chia Pet any day of the weekf!
