chia oat bowl with fruits & toasted seeds

29th August 2024

I started revisiting these chia and oat bowls when I was last in Australia visiting family. My sisters, Donna and Shelley, would make a warm, aromatic bowl of cooked oats and chia in the morning. I would have it after a class, adding passionfruit yoghurt and extra fruits, then top it with toasted seeds. Now, when I have an early morning flight, I make a cold version in a reused yoghurt container to have on the plane. It makes great travel food or a light dinner.

Note

If you let the chia oatmeal sit in the fridge overnight, it will be fairly thick. Stir the contents together and add additional milk or yoghurt until the consistency is to your liking.

Fresh fruit. Cut the fruit into small, uniform pieces. It makes all the difference.

Something crunchy, the chopped nuts, with maple syrup, add that satisfying crunch and sweetness.

Something sweet. There is no need to add sweetener to the chia and oats, as the vanilla and cinnamon create that sweet flavour, and the sweetness comes from the toasted seeds.

chia oatmeal bowl with fruit and toasted seeds

serves 2

preparation 30 minutes

ingredients

⅔ cup rolled oats

¼ cup chia seeds

1½ cup nut milk of choice, more if needed

3 Tbsp goji berries

1 tsp vanilla extract or seeds from one vanilla bean

½ tsp cinnamon powder

yoghurt, optional

fruit salad (Change the fruits to what is available seasonally)

1 ripe mango

1 apple

1 banana

a handful of pomegranate

pulp of 2 – 3 passionfruit

handful fresh blueberries

nuts and seeds

¼ cup/30g roughly chopped Macadamia nuts

¼ cup/20g flaked almonds

3 Tbsp/30g sunflower seeds

2 Tbsp/20g sesame seeds

2 Tbsp maple syrup

make the chia pudding
1. In a bowl, stir the oats, chia seeds, milk, goji berries, vanilla and cinnamon together. Mix well to combine. Cover and set aside for 20 to 30 minutes, or place in the fridge overnight. Add yoghurt or more nut milk, depending on your desired consistency.

chop your fruit

2. Finely chop the fruit of choice and add to another bowl. Set aside.

toast your nuts and seeds

3. In a skillet over medium-low heat, add the macadamia nuts, almonds and sunflower seeds and toast until golden; add the sesame seeds and toast until the seeds start to pop. Turn off the heat and stir in the maple syrup. Set aside to cool.

assemble

4. Spoon the oat-chia mixture evenly in the bottom of each bowl. Add your fruit and yoghurt, and sprinkle over the toasted nuts and seeds. Optional: Drizzle with a spoon of this golden passionfruit elixir.

Find a little bit of sunshine and enjoy.

0

golden honey passionfruit elixir & a chia pudding

15th August 2016

A recipe created for Holmes Place magazine as part of an ongoing concept of seasonal ‘superfoods’ throughout the year.

Elixir: a substance, usually a liquid, with a magical power to cure, improve, or preserve something.

This Elixir works as a wonderful topping for your morning yoghurt or warm-cooked oats. At other times, it is mixed in with a salad dressing, drizzled over vanilla ice cream for an evening treat, as a drink, stirred into warm water or warm milk, or added to smoothies or juices for a flavour kick. Turmeric root is often used in Ayurvedic medicine for its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antiseptic properties. This elixir is combined with the multiple wonderful benefits of passionfruit, honey and ginger, all healing and preventive powerhouses on their own.

When buying passion fruit, the ripe fruit should be firm and heavy with wrinkled skins and have a little “give”. If the skin is not deeply wrinkled but only shrivelled and unappealing, keep the fruit at room temperature until it is.

Golden Honey Passionfruit Elixir

Makes 1 cup (240mL)

Recipe adapted from Tara O’Brady – Seven Spoons.

When passionfruit is not in season, replace it with an extra ¼ cup of honey.

ingredients

½ cup mild-tasting honey, preferably raw

½ cup ripe passionfruit pulp (approximately six fruits)

2 Tbsp ginger, grated

1 heaped tsp turmeric powder/ 1 Tbsp grated turmeric root

Zest from 1 lemon

2 pinches freshly ground black pepper

preparation

1. Grate the ginger and lemon zest. Halve the passionfruit and scoop out the pulp and seeds to measure half a cup – set aside.

2. Pour the honey into a jar, add the passionfruit pulp, ginger, turmeric, lemon zest and ground pepper – stir to combine well.

3. Allow to stand for 30 minutes before using, or an hour if you can, then cover and refrigerate. The longer it sits, the more the flavours balance and settle. Stir before serving. Use within 1 week.

Chia Pudding with Berries & Golden Honey Passionfruit Elixir

Serves 2

chia pudding

2 Tbsp chia seeds

½ cup almond milk/or nut milk of choice

¼ tsp vanilla essence

serving options

1 cup Greek-style yoghurt or choice of non-dairy yoghurt

2 – 4 Tbsp Golden Honey Passionfruit Elixir

Fresh seasonal fruits, such as sliced peaches/nectarines, strawberries and raspberries, washed and chopped

2 – 4 Tbsp chopped almonds/granola

To make the chia pudding

1. Place the chia seeds, vanilla essence and nut milk in a jar. Screw on the lid, shake a few times and refrigerate for 30 minutes or preferably overnight. Stir again before serving.

2. When ready to serve, divide the yoghurt into two individual bowls and evenly spoon over the chia pudding. Drizzle the Golden Passionfruit Elixir over the top, arrange the fruits and berries, and garnish with fresh mint leaves, toasted almonds or your favourite granola.

Goodness shared by Stacey

0

peach chia breakfast shake

23rd July 2015

Peaches left to ripen on the tree is a kind of sweet bliss, with their golden flesh and rose-like scent…..

Remember these little guys? and this one below, thinking I have something for him! Which I always do.

peach chia breakfast shake

Serves 4 medium/3 large glasses

Recipe slightly adapted from ‘At Home in the Wholefood Kitchen’.

For best results, it is essential to use home-made almond milk and the freshest, ripest local peaches. This shake is very smooth, creamy and subtly sweet, with the delicious flavour of the peaches and a delicate hint of coconut. The chia seeds give it a luscious consistency.

This shake can be transformed into a delicious peach-flavoured chia pudding. Increase the chia seeds to ¼ cup, serve with sliced peaches on top and a sprinkling of her toasted maple-coconut flakes – you will need to buy the book for that recipe.

ingredients

1 Tbsp chia seeds

2 cups homemade almond milk – divided

560 grams/3 – 4 large, very ripe peaches, pitted and quartered

1 Tbsp coconut butter/oil/coconut manna

1 tsp vanilla essence

⅛ tsp cinnamon powder

1 Tbsp honey

preparation

1. Place the chia seeds in a bowl and cover with ½ cup almond milk – set aside to soak for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, so that the seeds are evenly distributed and covered.

2. Wash the peaches, and remove any bruised or spoiled spots. Cut them in half, remove the stone, and cut in half again.

3. Place the pieces in a blender with the remaining almond milk, coconut butter, vanilla essence, cinnamon powder and honey – blend on high for 1 minute, or until completely smooth.

4. Add the chia mixture and blend for a few seconds, until just combined. Enjoy as is, or place in the refrigerator to thicken and chill for 1 hour.

Goodness shared by Stacey

3

almond lemon coconut chia macaroons (vegan)

21st December 2014

almond lemon coconut chia macaroons

Makes 25 – 30 macaroons.

At first, I made the chocolate ones from the link below, but I found the chocolate (especially using raw cacao) too bitter. I like the intense sweetness of these which complements the coconut and lemon.

Adapted from these.

ingredients

3 cups/250g dried, unsweetened desiccated coconut

2 Tbsp/20g chia seeds

1 cup/100g almond meal (I used whole almonds, skins and all, then ground into a rough powder)

½ cup/45g almond flakes

¼ tsp fine rock salt

zest from one lemon

¼ cup/60ml water

¾ cup/185g maple syrup

⅓ cup/80ml extra virgin coconut oil (melted)

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

preparation

1. Preheat oven to 150C/325F.

2. In a large bowl, combine the coconut, chia seeds, almond meal, almond flakes, salt, and lemon zest – stir to combine thoroughly.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the water, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla extract, then add to the dry ingredients – stir until fully combined, and no dryness remains.

4. Cover and place the mixture in the fridge for 15 – 20 minutes. The chia seeds will help bind the mix together and the coconut oil solidifies, making it much easier to scoop.

5. Use an ice-cream scooper that has a spring action, which releases the mixture by sliding the band underneath. This works perfectly for easy shaping. Fill the scoop half full and firmly pressed the mixture. If you don’t have an ice-cream scooper, use a teaspoon to create more rustic mounds.

For the oven, place the macaroons on a baking sheet. I fitted all macaroons snugly on one tray. Bake them in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes, or until golden.

For the dehydrator, dehydrate at 115F for 6 – 8 hours if you want them fudgy, and longer if you want some chewiness.

light and festive!

Goodness shared from Stacey

1

chia oat bliss breakfast bowl

28th June 2014

I love this fresh green.

Rainy days after many sunny, warm ones.

I love that there is no school, no rushed mornings.

I love this berry-filled brunch enjoyed together in the garden.

I love the splashes of sun surprises on cloudy days, the wet ground and the smell of pine and eucalyptus in the air.

So much beauty.

Daily walks and adventures.

Brightly lit nights.

A moon that is almost full.

This is a simple, satisfying and very delicious breakfast. It can be ready in less than fifteen minutes. The chia seeds are expensive but a little goes a long way.

Chia seeds contain high amounts of complete protein and omega-3 fats, antioxidants, excellent-quality fibre and great levels of calcium, iron, potassium and zinc. They have a wonderful binding quality when in contact with liquid and because of this gel-like consistency it acts as a binder in your digestive tract which helps regulate your bowels and improves digestion.

Oats are a wonderful source of protein, high in folate, vitamin E, iron, magnesium and zinc. Oats are the only grain that contains both soluble and insoluble fibre. This helps moderate blood sugar levels, has been shown to fight heart disease and lower cholesterol. They are also known for their cleansing properties. By soaking the oats it increases their digestibility, enabling the nutrients to be better absorbed by your body.

chia oat bliss breakfast bowl

Serves 3

There are so many ways of serving this. Sometimes if I am short of time and short on a variety of fruit, I mash a very ripe banana in the bottom of a bowl, sprinkle a few nuts and seeds, and then layer in the chia mixture with a drizzling of honey. For a quick dessert; chocolate and hazelnut version sounds delicious by adding cocoa powder to the chia mixture drizzling with maple syrup, sprinkling on cacao nibs and coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts.

ingredients

½ cup rolled oats

1½ cup almond milk

a drop of freshly squeezed lemon juice

4 Tbsp chia seeds

2 Tbsp each soaked overnight sunflower, pumpkin seeds and goji berries

2 Tbsp ground flax seeds

Serve with a mixture of the following

yoghurt or nut milk of choice

1 mango, 1 apple, 1 banana, finely chopped and 1 cup fresh blueberries and raspberries (you change the fruits to what is available seasonally)

a handful of raw granola, dates or raisins

drizzling with honey, strawberry sauce or maple syrup

fresh mint leaves from the garden

preparation

1. In a small bowl or jar, stir together the oats, milk, lemon juice and chia seeds. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes, or place in the fridge for 8 – 12 hours. It will keep for 4 days in the fridge.

2. Add the seeds and goji berries to the oat-chia mixture, sprinkle over the ground flaxseeds and mix well to combine.

3. Add yoghurt or more nut milk, depending on the consistency you like. I prefer my chia mixture to be in between, if you prefer something on the runny side, you can increase the amount of nut milk.

4. Start chopping your fruit of choice.

5. Place a few spoonfuls of the oat-chia mixture in the bottom of each bowl. Layer over some fruit, another layer of the oat-chia mixture, fruit, and so on. Sprinkle over raw granola, toasted coconut, drizzling of strawberry sauce, honey, granola, fresh mint leaves or whatever toppings you desire.

Find a little bit of sunshine and enjoy.

My daughter was soaking this in the evening in a screw-top jar, in the morning layering in the fruits and yoghurt, screwing on the lid and enjoying later that morning at school.

Goodness shared from Stacey

2

breakfast oat smoothie

14th October 2013

Warmer weather calls out for all things cool, clean and crisp.

Unfortunately, crispness also applies to my garden due to a lack of rain and unseasonal very hot, dry weather. Unlike Stacey’s green, lush vegetable garden in Portugal, ours is a work in progress.

At least someone is enjoying its current state…….

For breakfast in this type of weather, instead of my regular oats, I have been experimenting with ‘oat smoothies’. I find the addition of oats, apart from all their goodness, provide longer sustenance than a regular smoothie. Soaking the oats first aids digestion. As soon as I get up, I place the oats in a bowl, cover with hot water, then leave to soak while I do other tasks that need to be done. That way, they’ve soaked enough for when I am ready to make my smoothie.

breakfast oat smoothie

Choose your own variety of grain + fruit + nuts/seeds + milk. Whatever you choose, aim to include at least 1 ingredient from all 4 groups. Add sweetener of choice if prefer – I use cinnamon.

Serves 1 – 2

ingredients

¼ cup soaked wholegrain oats/preferred grain (just cover oats with hot water & let sit for 10 minutes)

1 banana

½ cup soy milk/nut milk of choice

handful blueberries

handful raspberries

1 Tbsp chia gel*

a good sprinkling of ground flaxseed/sunflower seed mix

½ tsp cinnamon

preparation

1. Add all ingredients to a blender. Blend till thoroughly mixed. Serve immediately.

*To make Chia Gel – In a sealed, glass jar, add 1 tbsp chia seeds & 8 tbsp water. Immediately shake well, then let rest for approx. 10 minutes. Shake jar every minute or so to prevent seeds clumping together. Store in the fridge. Add to smoothies, cereal, omelettes, etc.

Goodness shared from Donna

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