This festive pudding is great for taking to holiday parties – especially if you want to have a treat while avoiding all the sugar, flour, and butter in most holiday desserts.
If by chance there’s any leftover, you’ll get to see what a great breakfast it makes too.
What you’ll need:
1/2 cup chia seeds
3 cups water
1 cup raw almond milk
(Or 1/2 cup soaked raw almonds (soaked in water for at least 6 hours) to make your own raw milk.)
1/2 cup diced red apple
3/4 cup raisins
3 TBS raw agave
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
Himalayan sea salt to taste (careful!)
Chopped pecans (optional)
Cheese cloth or paint strainer bag (optional)
How to make your raw food Holiday Chia Pudding
1. Make the chia the night before.
Mix the chia seeds in the water. Stir or whisk for at least 30 seconds to make sure that all seeds are coated. If they aren’t, they’ll stick together an create a tough film that’s not as fun to eat. Let these chia seeds soak overnight in the fridge. Super simple!
Note: The chia is getting soaked overnight because I’ve discovered that if you eat it before it’s had plenty of time to absorb water as its soaking, it can lead to constipation because the little seeds are absorbing water from inside you! When you let your chia seeds soak over night, they get fully hydrated and will then be able to hydrate your body as well.
2. Prepare the nuts for your nut milk.
Take 1/2 cup raw almonds and soak them in enough water to cover them. Let them sit for at least 6 hours. It’s fine to leave them over night like you’re doing with the chia. They do not need to be refrigerated while they’re soaking.
Note: This is why we soak nuts before using them in raw food dishes.
3. Make your almond milk.
Strain and rinse your almonds. Blend the almonds on high with 1 cup fresh water until the nuts are thoroughly blended.
Strain this mixture in a paint strainer bag or cheese cloth to remove the pulp. You’ll have some nut milk left over to enjoy after making this dish. If you don’t have a way to strain the almond milk, that’s okay. You can use it with the pulp still in the blended milk and your pudding will have more texture.
(Can you use store-bought almond milk or even soy milk? Of course, but store-bought nut milks are not raw.)
Next!
4. Make the pudding.
Take the soaked chia from the fridge and stir it around. Isn’t it a cool consistency!?
Stir in 1 cup of almond milk, spices, raisins, apples and agave. Remember to put a bit of Himalayan sea salt, but not too much.
Let the whole bowl sit for at least 1 hour before serving. This way the raisins can get a little softer. (If you leave it over night, they’ll be even more plump, juicy and delicious.)
Optional: Take some of the extra raw almond milk you made and drizzle it on top before serving. (This is a great way to have it for breakfast too.)
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Holy moly – I’ve got to try this. I rarely go out of my way to create food from recipes… however your website is making me want to learn more ways to enjoy eating raw.
Ali Dark recently posted..The Hardest Question – How Do I Help
Awesome, Ali! I hope you give it a try and let me know how you liked it. This recipe is so flavorful and fun. And really hits all those spots that wants something sweet and also cinnamon-y holiday flavored too.
I finally made this and man I was a nerd not to have made this sooner. In fact, I am haivng some pre-breakfast. Now how cool is that, to be able to have dessert for breakfast? Life is good, then you are a health-nut!
What do you suggest to those of us who don’t have access to raw almonds? These are hard to come by now days.
Yeah, most natural almonds have been flash pasteurized, so the best thing to do from my perspective is to get the raw-est almonds you can get, thank God for providing them for you, tell the almonds “I love you I love you I love you thank you thank you thank you” and then trust that they will love you back! Stay relaxed and calm about it all and just enjoy the almonds you can get! : )
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