BLACK FOREST CHIA PUDDINGS

Can you tell that we are a big fan of chia seeds yet! This ingredient is so extremely versatile. This particular dish is simple to prepare & can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, as a snack or for dessert. Making it a fun recipe for kids to enjoy also, as well as us big kids too. This dish was created at home one day after feeling the need to spice up my pudding recipes. I wasn’t prepared to whip up the old fashion Black Forest Cake, so I turned it into a pudding. The effort to create this dish is extremely minimal & as naughty as it may look, it is far from it. It is packed full of nutrients with each ingredient. Below I will share a little more information on the ingredients then dive straight into this decadent treat.

Berries - A lot of us may be aware that berries are great for us to consume. But why exactly? Well these goodies are packed with a ton of antioxidants, particularly blueberries, blackberries & raspberries. They can also help with your blood sugar levels & contain a high source of fibre. As well as being packed with a nutritious amount of vitamin C. But do we have to be careful sourcing our berries? In short, yes. Like all of our produce, where we source them from can make a big difference in quality. Organically sourced from farmers markets with no plastic containers, to skip the harmful wastage, is the clear winner. But a simple research on your brands, if sourcing frozen berries, is your best bet. Keeping in mind that strawberries rank highest on the list of EWG 2019 Dirty Dozen. The Environmental Working Group ( EWG ) compiles a list annually & presents to the public which produce contain the most pesticides in your supermarkets. So, strawberries in particular, are a must to keep an eye on, if this is an area that concerns you. I touch base on this area, with a lot more information in my previous Travel Blog, Food Storage On The Road.

Also, if you are after a little more nutritional information on the other key ingredient here, Chia Seeds, take a quick look into my previous recipe Matcha Chia Puddings, for some handy notes.

Now that we are all drooling to get into this delicious recipe & know the best way to source the ingredients, let’s get into it.

Serves 4

Prep time - 20min

Cooking time - 0

Refrigeration - 1hr or overnight

Total - 1hr 20min or 20min prep & overnight

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup Chia seeds

1 1/2 cups almond milk ( or any other non-dairy milk )

4-5 Tbsp maple syrup ( or preferred natural sweetener )

1/2 tsp vanilla essence ( optional )

1/4 cup cacao powder, sifted

4 cups coconut yoghurt

3-4 cups berries

Pinch of Himalayan salt

1/2 cup grated sugar free dark chocolate

Natural sweetener if desired for yoghurt ( optional )

DIRECTIONS

Whisk together cacao powder, maple syrup, vanilla essence & salt. Then slowly add milk and whisk. Gradually add all of the milk, until all is combined well. Add chia seeds. Stir well.

To create pink berry yoghurt layer, combine 1/2 of berries into a blender. Quickly blend until just smooth. Add to yoghurt & mix well. Add natural sweetener if desired. Set aside in fridge. Re stir your chia seeds well once more, cover tightly & set in fridge for 1 hr or overnight.

Layer your chocolate chia seed pudding mix & berry flavoured yoghurt as desired. Top with the rest of berries. Garnish with your grated chocolate.

Note - The first picture above was taken with slightly less cacao powder, in chia seeds. As this recipe was made randomly & my stock was low. The puddings will turn out slightly darker & more chocolatey. If you prefer a more subtle chocolate taste, simply tweak the amount with your next go & have fun with experimenting.

Enjoy this heavenly dish packed full of goodness.

I hope it turns out berrrry nice!

PEACE X Kirsty, Brent & Alfie