Earlier this week while doing groceries, I happened upon a bag of chia seeds. My girlfriend and I tried some in a granola-yogurt mix at Eat!Vancouver this year. She wasn't too crazy about it, but I didn't mind it. It is supposed to be the latest super food; uber healthy with antioxidants, fibre and protein, and it is also gluten-free. The girl at the booth recommended adding it to yogurt, smoothies, and pretty much anything you can think of. It doesn't add any flavor, but the seeds absorb the water found in the food and turn into gel. It basically acts like a thickener, and makes you feel more full.
The pudding itself doesn't take long to assemble: pour a cup of chocolate milk or chocolate soy milk into a bowl, then add three tablespoons of chia seeds, stirring the milk as the seeds are added. Then, leave the mixture to rest for about 40 minutes, mixing it periodically. The recipe makes two servings, and it can be refrigerated for a couple of days as well. Each serving is just a little over 70 calories (when using chocolate soy milk). The best way to describe the texture of the pudding once ready is that it is very much like tapioca pudding. The seeds will still have a bit of crunch to them, but it is mostly a gel-like consistency. I found that it is much thicker if left overnight in the fridge, as the seeds are really given a chance to absorb as much liquid and flavor as they can. I actually quite enjoy it, and I've been finding that I do feel quite full after having it, thus curbing my hunger until the next big meal. Plus, you can't go wrong with a dish that has chocolate!
I decided to try some chia seeds in my daily morning yogurt, so I popped a tablespoon in and gave it a quick stir. It did not take long for the seeds to absorb the liquid, and my yogurt ended up being quite thick in the end. Like with the pudding, my yogurt with chia seeds left me feeling more full than I would have if I didn't add the seeds. It's definitely something to experiment with a few different foods; I've even seen cookie recipes where chia gel (made with chia seeds and water) is used to substitute eggs as a binder! Not sure if I'll go that far, but you never know.
I also did some baking the other day and made pretzels. I made half of them plain and the other half ham & Swiss, which is the recipe that I linked (minus the chopped chives, as I didn't have any). Seeing the reviews for the plain recipe, I'm seeing now why my first batch doesn't seem as good as the later batches, but I'm not bothered by it at all (unlike some of the very angry reviewers on Food Network!). I think it's more of a case that the recipe is suited for being combined with other ingredients, whereas other recipes may not be. Next time, I'll just make sure to allow the dough to rise for a bit before I begin working with it (which was one of the things that had me puzzled as I worked with the dough). Minor tweaks that I easily deal with (or I can just try a different recipe next time). Doesn't really matter, because now I can cross it off my life list! :D
The dough calls to be made with a stand-mixer, but I was fine using my tried-and-true wooden spoon method. I ended up not having to use the extra 3/4 cup of plain flour, but I may reduce the amount of flour the next time I try it anyways. Surprisingly, I found that making the stuffed pretzels were much easier than making the plain. It could also be that by the time I was making my final batch, I was now used to the rolling, cutting, pinching, re-rolling and shaping required to make the pretzels. I'm not ashamed to admit that I used a ruler to ensure that I was rolling the dough out to the correct dimensions and cutting the strips in the correct width as well. When it comes to baking, the precision definitely helps.
The oven temperature also surprised me, because the temperature had to be set quite high (475 F! That's higher than the setting I use for my chicken wings!). They turned out fine with that temperature, but it will likely be another thing that I may tweak if I attempt this recipe again. The plain pretzels did turn out quite crisp, but that's the kind of pretzel that I remember from Germany and Austria. The stuffed pretzels fared much better, because the dough was given the chance to rise as I worked with the first two batches. When I tried one of each, the ham & Swiss were definitely my fave. The combination of the ham, Swiss and Dijon really work well together and give that bit of chewiness to the pretzel overall. The plain were quite crisp on the outside, but had a bit of softness on the inside. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the recipe, just have to make tweaks.
Here is the meal plan for the upcoming week, mostly very simple foods. I promised to share my hush puppies recipe, but methinks I will save it for my next post. Enjoy the weekend and happy cooking all!
July 29-Aug 3
Sunday: Dinner with friends (possibly at Red Robin)
Monday: Bacon-wrapped steaks (given for free with an order from here), mashed potatoes, veggies
Tuesday: Mini pizzas
Wednesday: Pasta salad with ham, corn, tomatoes, cucumber, cheese and vinaigrette
Thursday: Peanut butter chicken, rice, cucumber slices and peas
Friday: Spice-rubbed pork sandwiches