Lavender Blueberry Chia Pudding

Lavender Blueberry Chia Pudding
AKA – Bre’s Chia Pudding

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.

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!”

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.

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.

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).

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