Chia Later!
I planned to bring you along as I went for a run in our new home, but pop-up showers mean no running for this gal! That may sound rather wimpy — and it is — but I used to run in the rain all the time in high school, and the feeling of stagnant water sloshing around my toes never appealed to me for some reason. Anyway, do you really want to go running when the sky looks like this?
I swear, I could see lightning strikes all the way to Wisconsin.
Change of plan, then.
There’s a brand of kombucha I really like with chia seeds floating throughout like soft/crunchy bits of deliciousness. Or stars. Pick your metaphor. I’ve only bought it a few times, because for the cost of one bottle, I could buy approximately .2644 pounds of my favorite cheese. What’s a penny-pinching dietitian to do? Why, make her own, of course!
I don’t have kombucha fermenting in our kitchen, nor am I likely to in the future. I tried making it once a few months before starting this blog, and while it was “tasty“, the visual of the kombucha “mother” was too much to handle. Kind of like a pale, flattened version of Jabba the Hutt. You can click on the kombucha link for a picture. You have been warned.
Since kombucha is made from sweetened tea, I decided to make this tea:
This green tea has a slightly sweet taste, so I didn’t add sugar. You can. A little bit will suffice.
Brewing, about 1.5 cups tea:
Chia seeds are full of omega-3 fatty acids (good for the heart), protein (good for nearly anything), and fiber (good for … well, you know). They become gelatinous in water, creating tasty puddings and drinks — such as this one!
Tea transferred to a glass for visual awesomeness. About 1 tablespoon of chia seeds added:
Aaaaand, the seeds settle to the bottom. I let the glass sit for a while so the chia seeds could swell. And they did:
After chilling for about 8 hours, then stirring:
While the mixture was much thicker after chilling, I still couldn’t being the seeds into perfect suspension. Perhaps I didn’t use enough chia seeds? In any case, this chia tea drink was delicious: smooth and creamy, with a hint of crunch in the seeds. If you haven’t tried this combo before, I definitely recommend it! How often do you get a non-smoothie drink with protein? Besides, if you don’t end up liking the seeds, you could always make a Chia Pet.
Bottoms up!
Update: Checked the chia tea this morning (9/6) — the seeds have expanded to fill nearly the entire glass. Sweet, sweet success!
Creamy Chia Tea
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Keywords: raw beverage gluten-free vegetarian vegan chia seeds
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 1 to 1.5 cups brewed tea (green, black, etc.)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
Instructions
Stir tea and chia seeds together. Add sugar, if desired. Allow to sit for 12-24 hours, or until chia seeds swell to fill the glass. Stir and enjoy.
Q: Have you ever tried chia seeds? What’s your favorite way to enjoy them?
I haven’t experimented much with chia but it’s definitely something I want to get into! Love the sound of this!
That’s an interesting idea. It kinda reminds me of bubble tea. I’ve had chia seeds in smoothies before but never in tea
That’s definitely not running weather. Eating weather! 🙂 I’ve never tried chia seeds…not sure if I would like their texture.
Now I’m in sunny California 🙂 It’s wonderful (the weather! the ocean!) and the food is SO good. I guess we’ve both been moving around! I will try to update my blog soon haha.
Eating weather! I love it! I think every weather is eating weather 😉
Yes, please update! I’d love to read more about your recent travels 🙂
Looks great ! I’ve never tried chia seeds, but this drink almost looks like basil drink, which is a sweet drink you can find in Asian stores.
Ooh, I’m gonna look for that. Thanks for the tip, Sandy!
Hello Jessie! I am glad to see you are back blogging! And it looks like we are temporary state-neighbors (I am in Chicago for two more weeks, until it’s back to VT). I hope you’re adjusting to the midwest OK. I have absolutely loved my time in Chicago, but I have to admit I have not ventured beyond it much, though I hear there are a lot of cornfields… 🙂
More related to this particular post… it is quite coincidental as I just bought my first bag of chia seeds this past weekend! I am on the prowl for all the neat ways you can use them, and so far have tried in scrambled eggs (putting it in the pan looks absolutely revolting, but the end produce was good, though the bubbly-geliness of the chia mixture didn’t hold up as well as I was hoping once cooked, stirred, etc), oatmeal mixtures (success) and now as we speak I have the tea mixture doing it’s thing in the fridge! I am super excited to try it. Thanks for posting the updates yesterday- sounds like I should let it sit for at least a day before eating. If I can wait that long!!!!
Hi Allie! It’s great to hear from you! You’re right about the cornfields — we live on the edge of town, so there are cornfields stretching way, WAY into the distance everywhere you look.
I’ve yet to try chia in anything except the tea and smoothies, but now I’ll have to try them in oatmeal (I’ll think about the eggs … 😉 ). I’ll report back! I hope the tea thing works for you.
Enjoy your last few weeks in Chicago and say hi to Adam for us!
*correction: we’re probably more like city-neighbors (across a sea of corn and highways) than state neighbors. Perhaps state-pals or something.
Hi jessie
Just found an herbal tea made out of pure chia. It comes in a sealed teabag and brew s to a mild distinctive tasting cup of tea. The company is called Healthy Herbal Brews and when I googled them I found a press release about them. they grow and process this chia tea all by hand in Brooklyn NY.
I ordered all three flavors regular,clove,and rosemary.
You can get it at chiateastore.com
Regards robert