Gracious Living Raw, Vegan Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

Chia Seeds, nature’s little powerhouse, are an amazing superfood providing calcium, alkalinizing, absorbable protein, and anti-aging antioxidants. (yes, this is where the famous chia pet came from!)  They are also high in omega-3 fatty acids much needed for optimal energy levels, heart health, brain health, and burning fat. Their high fibre content helps to stabilize blood sugar and suppress hunger.  Ch-ch-ch-chia!

Mmmmmm…a healthy, nutrient dense breakfast, snack, or dessert that will provide you with sustainable energy.  An excellent source of protein and essential fatty acids.

2 tbsp chia seeds
1 cup unsweetened almond, or cashew milk
1-2 Tbsp maple syrup
1⁄2 tsp real vanilla extract

1⁄4 ground cinnamon
1/4 ground nutmeg
1/4 ground ginger

**topping:  fresh fruit, and/or fresh coconut, and/or fresh mint.

**variation: instead of adding cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, add 1 tsp of raw, organic cocoa powder or carob powder for a chocolate chia pudding.

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and set aside for 15 minutes so the chia seeds can do their chia magic.  Abra-ca-dabra…..they will soak up the moisture and turn into a pudding consistency. Chill (if you can wait!) then serve.

Top with fresh berries of choice , and/or fresh mint leaves, and/or sprinkle fresh grated coconut on top.  I like to serve it in a martini glass!

click my face right below to watch my Gracious Living TV video on the health benefits of chia seeds!

upcoming Gracious Living Vegan Nutrition & Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas Jan 2013

www.gracevanberkum.com

Our 31 participants ended off 5 days of juicing on the 10 day New Year’s Detoxification and Yoga Retreat  at the Sivananda Yoga Ashram in the Bahamas with Gracious Living Raw Applesauce, to ease the body back into digesting food.

So much tastier than cooked applesauce, easier to make, takes less time, and filled with more healing nutrients & refreshing, enzymatic goodness than cooked versions.  Lots of prana and life-force here! Acid foods lead to a stressful lifestyle; alkaline foods are full of pranic energy that fight stress. Great way to start the day or to have as a light snack.

GRACIOUS LIVING RAW APPLESAUCE

• 1-2 organic red apples, cored, cut into 4 pieces
• fresh ginger to taste ( i like it spicy!)
• cinnamon to taste
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup of filtered water
• optional:  sprinkle of stevia for sweetness

Blend in strong blender till smooth.

I like to keep the skin on the apples for extra fibre and it adds cute little red specks to the applesauce.  Takes 5 minutes to make this yummy, energizing sauce!

Tastes great when chilled. Sprinkle a bit more cinnamon on top before serving.  It’s really that EASY!!

 

for upcoming 2012 Detoxification Juice Fasts, Raw Retreats, and Yoga & Sport courses with Gracious Living in the Bahamas, please click HERE!

for upcoming 2012 Gracious Living retreats in Nicaragua, please click HERE! 

www.gracevanberkum.com

Gracious Living Chestnut Almond Ginger Soup

walking around the streets of Toronto freezing my butt off (heading back to tropical climates next week! yipeeeeee) and noticed it’s chestnut season in all the grocery seasons.  inspired by these chestnut sightings and since i don’t usually eat them, i thought i would do some experimenting….what i LOVE to do ( i like to refer to myself as a kitchen scientist!)

made a fantastic vegan chestnut almond ginger soup which i am sharing….not to mention a vegan apple pie with chestnut hemp pie crust.  yup…..and i even made an apple ginger guacamole! (it worked kids, it worked!)

first, let me tell you about the oh so glorious chestnut:

nutritionally, chestnuts are similar to brown rice  and offer a sweet,subtle flavor. this means they are high in fibre, and compared to all other nuts, extremely low in calories AND fat!

• chestnuts are one-third the calorie content of peanuts and cashews and chestnuts are 99% fat free!

• chestnuts contain as much Vitamin C as an equal weight of lemons!

• chestnuts are high in complex carbohydrates for long-term energy.

• chestnuts  are gluten-free &  cholesterol free!

CHESNUT ALMOND GINGER SOUP 

You need to cut & steam the chestnuts first to make them soft and edible.

Carefully cut chestnuts by making a single, 1/8th-inch deep slit across the center (equator) on the rounded side of the nut. A sharp knife or kitchen shears allows for piercing the shell as you cut. Chestnuts contain a high percentage of water, which turns to steam as it cooks and must escape the shell.   

When cut properly, chestnuts will open when fully cooked, much like a clamshell. The chestnut meat easily pops out of the opening and is ready to eat as is, or use in a recipe.

To steam chestnuts: Place cut chestnuts in a steam-basket in a pan with 1/2 inch
of water. Bring water to a boil and steam chestnuts until the chestnut meats separate from the shell and chestnuts are soft. (i did mine for about 45 min)

Ingredients:

• about 10-15 steamed, peeled chestnuts
• 3 tbsp raw almond butter
• fresh garlic to your liking
• fresh ginger to your liking
• pinch sea salt
• 1-2 cups of water depending on desired consistency

Blend until smooth & creamy.

Enjoy as a soup ( I also shredded some raw carrot in the soup for extra nutrition and enzymes, but you don’t need to)

OR

you could add less water and use it as a dip

OR

as a sauce over top of raw or steamed veggies.

the soup was delish and very satisfying!  i loved the creamy richness even though it’s vegan and i never use dairy in my recipes.

**if you don’t have chestnuts around, try substituting with sweet potato.

would LOVE to hear feedback…..please share!

www.gracevanberkum.com

refreshing ginger iced tea

the hot, summer months are here and it’s really important to stay hydrated for increased energy and to help keep weight down. one of my favourite things to make is ginger iced tea.

ginger is high in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, and anti-microbial (helps kill bacteria). it also  stimulates circulation which means it helps to cleanse and detoxify the blood, helps to lower cholesterol, may help to prevent heart attacks, relieves indigestion, excellent for nausea, vomiting and motion sickness, helps with constipation, helps with hot flashes, relieves headaches, reduces arthritic pain, and supports kidney health. ginger is also high in potassium which makes it alkalinizing, helping to reset the metabolism.

here are some refreshing ways that i use ginger for it’s beneficial properties, and also as a great way to increase my hydration levels.

Ginger  Iced Tea

get a chunk of ginger, wash and peel it. ( i use a big chunk because i really enjoy the spiciness of it). then cut into 5 or 6 pieces.

fill a pot with clean water. add ginger to the pot. bring the water to a boil, then turn off the heat and cover. i like to let it sit on the stove with the heat off all day so it becomes really strong. (i will do it in the morning before i leave the house)

a few hours later, when the water has cooled down, strain the ginger water into a pitcher. add a few drops of stevia if you wish for natural sweetness, and then squeeze some fresh lemon into the mixture (half to 1 whole lemon depending on your preference.) make sure you use FRESH lemons and not from a bottle as it has chemicals added to it.

store in fridge if you would like it nice and cold.  also good as a hot tea.

sometimes i like to add SPARKLING WATER  and lime instead of lemon, and i call it ginger beer!!

REFRESHING, HYDRATING, HEALTHY…..of course! enjoy!

www.gracevanberkum.com