Sunday, February 1, 2009

Raw Food Chia Seed Recipes

Chia seeds are an excellent food for people with diabetes and are popular with the raw food community. I live in southern Arizona and chia seeds have been an important food source for the indigenous people here.

Many traditional foods are especially good at helping diabetes, and chia seeds are one of them. Here are some tradtional-style recipes to use Chia seeds.

CHIA LEMONADE AGUA FRESCA
(fresh water)

1 tbsp chia seeds
1 cup apple juice
2 tsp lemon juice

Place the seeds in the juice, and stir or shake. Let it sit for 30 minutes until it becomes the consistency of jelly. Add the lemon and ice if desired to make a slushy drink.

CHIA LEMON AGUA FRESCA "JELLO" DRINK

1/4 cup chia seeds
8 oz water (use more or less to your own preference)
tsp lemon juice

Place seeds in the water, and stir or shake. Let it sit until the water starts to become a gel. This can take up to 45 minutes. Add the lemon juice and enjoy. Chill if desired.

CHIA BERRY SMOOTHIE

2 tbsp chia seeds
1 cup apple juice
16 oz unsweetened frozen berries

Place seeds in the water, and stir or shake. Let soak for 30 minutes. Put the chia mixture and berries into a blender (or just mash with a fork) until it has a smoothy consistency.

CHIA FRUIT SALAD

1-2 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 cup fruit juice
3 cups chopped fruit

Place seeds in the water, and stir or shake. Let soak for 30 minutes until it thickens. Toss chia mixture with fruit.

CHIA GRUELS

I like gruels. They are portable. Kind of like porridge. You can take a mix of seeds, flours and spices and mix in water. You have to remember that they are highly concentrated sources of calories and energy. So you don't need very much. It has been said that a tablespoon of chia seeds could provide enough energy for a long-distance runner for 24 hours.

I also use mesquite meal in these gruels. This is another food good for people with diabetes. Mesquite is an indigenous tree to southern Arizona. Bags of meal can be pricey, but you don't have to use a lot of it in gruels. Mesquite meal has kind of a lightly sweet, carmel flavor. Some say it tastes like mild Cracker Jacks. Here is a place that sells mesquite meal near me. They are a great organization and need support to preserve wild and traditional seeds.


I have a typical "base" of chia seeds, mesquite meal, and sunflower seeds. This can be made into so many dishes.

Here is a recipe to try. If you have never had mole before, then don't go in with preconceived expectations or be too disapoointed if you don't like it. Mole is kind of gritty, a little chocolate taste, not very sweet, sometimes savory too. Many different types of mole's. It is usually served as a sauce over some type of meat. But I always liked the taste of the sauce, so I made it into a gruel. I suggest you make this and then play around with it to get it where you like it.

BJAY'S MOLE GRUEL - makes 1 small serving

2 tsp chia seeds
2 tsp sunflower seeds
2 tsp mesquite meal (alternative: can try more flax and agave nectar)
2 tsp ground flax seed
2 tbsp raisins
1 tsp cocoa powder or other type of chocolate type powder
1/4 tsp mild chile powder (hotter if you prefer)
shake or pinch of cinnamon
shake or pinch cumin
shake or pinch of nutmeg
shake or pinch of cinnamon
shake of garlic salt (or combo of a tiny bit of mashed garlic and salt to taste)
1 tsp agave nectar or use other preferred sweetener
1/2 cup water

Mix together. It will thicken as time goes on. It will be more like a cereal at first. If you stir occasionally it should be more like a porridge after 15-20 minutes. If it isn't thick enough, you can add some more flax, chia, or mesquite.

12 comments:

  1. I can't wait to try the chia mole recipe! I love chia seeds and put them in my smoothies every day. I may just be kidding myself, but I really seem to feel a boost of energy from chia and spirulina in my morning smoothies. The mole looks very interesting - I think I'll have fun with it. Thanks!

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  2. I hope you like it, mole is either love or hate...but the nice thing about this recipe is that you can fiddle with it and add things. I've recently been contemplating adding some pureed pumpkin to it.

    If you like Mexican style food, I just tried a new sauce. I have a magic bullet blender I use for small stuff, I put in chopped mango, a seeded serrano chili, lime juice, and some cilantro, a pinch of salt, and blend it up. Yummm. One of my new favorites.

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  3. Thanks for the info on the Chia seed. I am type 2 diabetic and am attempting to follow the South Beach diet. I am hoping that the chia seed recipes will allow me to substitute a meal, is this wise.

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  4. Thanks for the neat Chia recipes- I just made a friend from Chiapas and was interested in the seeds that the state was named for. If I wanted to make a mole with your ingredients, but more like a traditional mole than like a gruel, would I add more liquid? What final consistency should I try for?
    Thanks for the post!

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  5. I used the amount of water I listed in the recipe and it came out to a good consistency...but of course that can vary depending on your ingredients so you may need to add more.

    My dad always says, just keep adding stuff till it tastes/looks good, haha.

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  6. Chia Fruit Salad is one of my favorite dishes, specially because it's so healthy. Also it's easier to prepare than another recipes.

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  7. Thanks for this recipes! I'm the kind of person who likes to experiment and taste new things and new recipes, and this you brought us are absolutely perfect for me.

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  8. I am happy that more and more people are using Chia seed. I am quite healthy so i didn't take them everyday. However if you are having digestive problem you should add chia into your diet!

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  9. Eating these kinds of food will not only give you healthy teeth, and a healthy body, but it will also make you feel revitalized, most especially when you feel stressed out. Well anyway, I was also diagnosed with diabetes, and so my doctor told me about eating this stuff. And it tastes good. My dentist also told me about this thing when he gave me a list of food to eat, to prevent tooth decay and gum disease.

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  10. hello, i think that this post is the best that i have read!!!

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  11. Nice Blogging. Like the words that has been shared. Thanks to you too for sharing this with us.

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