sweet miscellany

I’ve noticed lately that my body has started to crave different things from season to season.  It’s not that I didn’t realize it before, but rather it has become more defined and present when choosing what to eat.  I’ve also noticed that these cravings are attuned to what plants and vegetables happen to be in season at the time.  There’s no better time to crave raw foods than in summer when farmer’s markets are bulging with beautiful, ripe tomatoes, stone fruits, and berries galore.  I could probably eat a bowl full of blueberries and cherries for dinner right now and be perfectly content. 

Unfortunately, these cravings mean I’m a tad apathetic towards baking which is totally uncharacteristic of me.  It mainly stems from the fact that turning on my oven means suffering a 20 degree increase in the temperature in my apartment.  That being said, you won’t see too many baked goods here over the next month or two.  But, I’ll still be sharing lovely recipes that don’t require much cooking, if any at all.  So, that’s a plus, right?

I made this “pudding” to satisfy a craving I had for something sweet and cold.  You pretty much mix everything up and let it chill in the fridge for a while.  Easy, right?  The end result is a sweet and tart pudding that gets it’s thick consistency from lovely protein-packed chia seeds.  I topped mine with a bit of fresh diced strawberries, but this cashew cream would be amazing as well. 

notes: This recipe takes a bit of planning because it has to sit for several hours or overnight before eating.  Makes about 4 servings.

1/2 lb strawberries (or cherries if you can’t find strawberries), cleaned de-hulled
1 tbsp dried hibiscus flowers or 2 hibiscus tea bags
juice of 1/2 a lime
scant cup of water
1 to 2 tbsp agave, depending on the sweetness of your berries
6+ tbsp whole chia seeds

Boil the water and then pour it over your hibiscus.  Let it steep for 10 to 15 minutes.  Strain out the hibiscus (or tea bags) and pour the tea you have made into a blender.  Add the strawberries , lime juice, and agave to the blender also, then blend until the mixture is smooth.  You should have roughly 2 cups of liquid.  Pour the liquid into a bowl, then measure out 3 tbsp of chia seeds for every 1 cup of liquid you have.  If you got 2 cups, then add 6 tbsp chia seeds.  Stir the chia seeds into the liquid to evenly distribute them, then cover the bowl and park it in the fridge for several hours or overnight to thicken.  Once the pudding has thickened, enjoy it chilled topped with fresh diced strawberries or cashew cream.