John Myers
Chia seeds – the legendary Inca grains – have a fantastic nutritional profile. Whether calcium, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, iron, or proteins: chia seeds provide all of these nutrients and trace elements in such large quantities that even a small portion of chia seeds per day is enough to optimize your personal nutrient supply. But what is the best way to eat chia seeds? We have selected nine simple recipes with chia seeds for you.
Chia seeds: The nutrient bombs
Chia seeds come from Central and South America. Even among the indigenous peoples, the Inca and Maya, chia seeds were a popular tonic when extreme physical exertion had to be mastered.
A Mexican legend even says that a spoonful of chia seeds is enough to provide a person with everything they need for 24 hours in times of need.
And indeed: Chia seeds are real nutrient bombs. Just two tablespoons of chia seeds a day (24 g) already provide:
- with 10 percent of the daily calcium requirement
- with 10 percent of the daily iron requirement
- with 20 percent of the magnesium requirement
- with 14 percent of the zinc requirement
- with almost 5 grams of omega-3 fatty acids
- with a third of the daily fiber requirement
- with half the daily vitamin E requirement
Go ahead and buy chia seeds. But then you look at the grains, maybe put a bit in your mouth… and well, you can’t really get excited about it. Quite simply not because the right recipes are missing.
With the right ideas and recipes, however, chia seeds can be transformed into thousands of delicious delicacies due to their versatility and changeability.
Nine recipes with chia seeds
We have selected nine suggestions for a varied preparation of chia seeds:
Recipe: Chia seeds in a smoothie
Chia seeds can be mixed into any smoothie very easily. They taste so neutral that they do not change the original taste of the smoothie.
Chia seeds, therefore, fit into all smoothies that exist: fruit smoothies, chocolate smoothies, or in green smoothies.
However, keep in mind that chia seeds will swell and change the consistency of the smoothie once you leave it for a few minutes.
Recipe: Chia seeds as a topping
Chia seeds can also be easily sprinkled in yogurt (whether made from cow’s milk, soy drink, rice drink, or nuts) or over ice cream.
You can also combine chia seeds with hulled hemp seeds and sprinkle both over your desserts or snacks. Your omega-3 supply would be secured.
Do not forget, however, that chia seeds have a high water-binding capacity and you should therefore drink a large glass of water or liquid for every tablespoon of chia seeds.
Recipe: Chia seeds in bread and pastries
Chia seeds also make a great addition to any type of bread, cracker, or pastry. Since chia seeds are gluten-free, they can also be mixed into gluten-free recipes.
The chia seeds will not only make your bread more filling, and richer in content and nutrients but also keep it fresh and moist for longer.
In addition, chia seeds lower the glycemic index of your bread, which means that your blood sugar level does not get out of control as much as it does, for example. B. is the case after a piece of white bread.
Recipe: Chia seeds in raw food crackers
Have you ever conjured up raw crackers from flaxseed? These crackers taste fantastic and are prepared in no time. It just takes time to dry.
You can also use chia seeds or a mixture of flaxseed and chia seeds for these crackers.
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
- 125 grams of flaxseed
- 125 grams of chia seeds
- Both seeds are soaked in about 750 ml of water overnight.
- 1 small onion, finely sliced
- 2 fresh tomatoes
- 4 to 6 sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 red pepper
- Herb salt and oregano or basil
Preparation
The tomatoes (fresh and dried) are blended in the blender along with the peppers and onion. Then you pour the resulting mass into the soaked seeds, season, and mix everything well.
The liquid mixture is now spread on the paper of the dehydrator (3 mm thick) and left to dry for about 10 to 14 hours.
Alternatively, the mass can also be spread on baking paper and baked in the oven at very low temperatures. The crackers taste not only dry but also very tasty semi-moist.
You can also spread them with almond butter, nut cheese, avocado cream, coconut butter, or a dip of your choice and sprinkle them with fresh chives.
Recipe: Chia seeds in homemade crunchy
Of course, chia seeds also go well with muesli or crunchy. Since conventional crunchy often contains unfavorable ingredients such as sugar, here is a recipe for homemade chia crunchy:
Ingredients
- 2 cups of oatmeal
- ¼ cup ground chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons of flaxseed
- ¼ cup grapeseed oil, canola oil, or a mild olive oil
- 1/3 cup honey, agave syrup, maple syrup, or similar
- ¼ cup whole chia seeds
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ½ cup dried goji berries
- ½ cup dried blueberries
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix the first six ingredients and stir until everything is well coated with oil and honey.
Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and spread the crunchy mixture onto the sheet.
Bake these for 30 minutes, turning them every 10 minutes.
After cooling, add dried fruit and nuts, of course, choose the ones you like best.
Recipe: Chia seeds as sprouts
Of course, you can also germinate your chia seeds and then add them to salads or smoothies.
When the chia seeds come into contact with water, the typical chia gel develops. Don’t let that unsettle you. The seeds will germinate anyway and should be rinsed regularly.
However, chia seeds are rarely allowed to germinate for longer than 48 hours.
Recipe: Chia seeds to fill you up on the go
Chia seeds are incredibly filling and are therefore ideal as provisions for the on-the-go when you don’t have that much time to spare for an extended meal.
Even if you just want to lose some weight, chia seeds should be part of everyday life, as they clearly have an appetite-reducing effect.
Do you have a shaker or a twister (battery-powered small mixer) for shakes?
Simply fill it up at home with the superfood powder of your choice. This can be maca powder, a vegetable protein powder (rice, hemp, or lupine protein), or of course a mixture of different superfoods. Now add ground or whole chia seeds.
Take water or juice with you in a separate bottle. As soon as you get hungry, pour the water or juice into your shaker, shake vigorously and you have a filling and nutritious superfood shake that will give you hours of incredible energy and satisfaction.
Recipe: Chia seeds for “Pearl Milk Tea”
Chia seeds in tea? Exactly – based on the traditional Pearl Milk Tea or Bobble Tea from Taiwan.
While the so-called tapioca pearls are used as a gelling agent in Pearl Milk Tea, the gelling in Chia tea is of course done by the Chia seeds.
So add a spoonful of chia seeds, some coconut blossom sugar, plant-based milk if you like, and (in summer) ice cubes to any tea you like. Shake or mix your bobble tea vigorously until it foams and enjoys.
Recipe: Chia seeds as an egg substitute
If you don’t want to eat so many eggs, you often want an easy-to-use egg substitute for baked goods. Chia seeds are such an egg substitute, which is also very healthy and nutritious.
For each egg to be replaced, take 1 tablespoon of finely ground chia seeds (e.g. ground in a blender) and 3 tablespoons of water. Mix both well, wait a few minutes and now add this mixture to the rest of the recipe ingredients.
We wish you a lot of fun with the versatile and so healthy chia seeds.
You can also use basil seeds instead of chia seeds.
