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Lavender Blueberry Chia Pudding

March 27, 2016

Lavender Blueberry Chia Pudding
AKA – Bre’s Chia Pudding

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If you’re reading this blog you probably know that I’m obsessed with my niece. We don’t look very much alike, but you know we’re related based on two characteristics:

  • We think we’re hilarious – she cracks herself up and I crack myself up.
  • Our sleep habits – we hate going to bed and we hate waking up.

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I procrastinate quite a bit before I go to bed. It’s typically a ritual that goes something like…

  • Complain about going to bed
  • Get a snack
  • Declare I hate going to bed
  • Look in the fridge
  • Think of an idea for a recipe!
  • Get into bed
  • Oops, I need a glass of water!
  • Get back to bed and toss and turn for a good 45 minutes
  • Sleep
  • Wake up and scowl at my mom when she says, “Good morning, MariSunshine!”

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Last week, as I was going through my bedtime rituals, I came up with this recipe thanks to the help of Oh She Glows and my Flavor Bible. I’ve had some lavender in my cabinet for a few months and have been wondering how to use it. At Christmastime I made some lavender almonds, but was stumped after that. My Flavor Bible suggested combining it with blueberry and almond and that’s how this pudding was created.

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My niece loves to help in the kitchen and this was a perfect recipe for her to help measure, stir, shake, and get her hands dirty with the left over almond pulp.

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A few notes about this recipe:

  • You’ll make the almond milk first. If you don’t have a nutmilk bag, you can use cheesecloth. You also can skip the second straining, but it makes the milk significantly smoother. I love these dishtowels for this step. They’re super handy for a lot of kitchen tasks, especially drying produce.
  • Making your own almond milk is pricey. If you’d like to cut costs you could use prepared almond milk and blend it with the lavender.
  • A cautionary word on chia seeds – While they’re very healthy (high in protein, fiber, and omega-3s), some can’t digest them.
  • If you can’t digest chia seeds, replace the chia with raw oats for “overnight oats” (the ratio of milk to oats is usually 1:1).

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Lavender Blueberry Chia Pudding
Makes 2, 1 cup servings

Ingredients:
½ cup of almonds, soaked overnight
2 cups of water
1 teaspoon of lavender, culinary grade
2 Medjool dates, pitted and soaked about an hour
¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 whole vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
pinch of salt
¼ cup of chia
½ cup of blueberries – I used frozen since they’re not in season
Maple syrup to taste – I use about a tablespoon per serving

Directions:

  1. Rinse soaked almonds to remove any residue.
  2. Make almond milk: In a high-speed blender (hello Vitamix cult members!), combine soaked almonds, water, lavender, dates, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean. Blend on high for at least one minute.
  3. Place a nut milk bag over a bowl and pour almond milk mix through the bag. Squeeze the bag to remove any left over liquid.
  4. Optional step: Filter the milk again through a fine cloth to make an especially smooth milk.
  5. Place chia in a bowl or jar and slowly stir in the prepared milk with a fork.
  6. Chill until desired consistency (at least an hour), stirring occasionally. I like to put mine in a jar and shake it every time I go in the refrigerator… about every 15 minutes.
  7. Add blueberries and maple syrup

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