Chocolate Strawberry Chia Pudding Parfait for breakfast

Yes...for breakfast. It's that good for you.

   I have become obsessed with chocolate, or I should say, cacao. It all started at Easter time when I made a chocolate cream pie for dessert for my family. Well, given that pastry cream is my all time hands down, favorite food on earth, you can imagine the internal strife this pie caused me, given that I couldn't eat it. NO I didn't even lick the spoon. It wasn't easy, but luckily that same weekend I started reading about super foods. Foods that are super dense with nutrients.

   I have explored these foods in the past. I once dabbled with chia seeds, and then went through a goji berry phase, but never realized that chocolate held superfood status. Now that I have discovered cacao, I am committed. And I have since forgotten all about that heavy, lethargy inducing, unhealthy chocolate cream pie. Cacao, and other delicious super foods, will now be a regular part of my healthy diet.

   Cacao is a raw form of chocolate, and is one of the most anti oxidant rich foods on the planet. It also provides minerals such as, iron, calcium, and magnesium, as well as mood enhancing amino acids. Magnesium to calm us-mood enhancing amino acids- and delicious flavor-now that's a superfood. No wonder we all crave it. Eating cacao, as opposed to cocoa or chocolate, which have been roasted, is the best way to retain all of its nutritional benefits (and of course without the added fat and sugar found in candy). 

   Cacao is milder in flavor than it's roasted counterparts, and it's stimulating effects are more subtle. Unlike when I eat chocolate, when I eat cacao I don't experience a spike in energy, followed by a quick decline and craving for more. It's more of a slow energy release that makes you feel relaxed, satisfied, and makes the corners of your mouth quietly turn upward into the subtlest of smiles.

   I always considered myself a healthy eater, but I now realize that eating for your health takes "healthy eating" to a whole new level. It takes a deeper level of commitment, and a deeper level of understanding of what our food does for us, physically, emotionally , and spiritually. I believe it can be transformative.
   
   The standard american diet ( or SAD as it's called) is so full of sugar, salt and other flavor enhancers that it screams at you in a way that is immediately overstimulating. This makes it impossible to notice that it has provided you with little to no nutrition, and has burdened your digestive system to the point of leaving you with less energy in the long run. A healthy diet is quiet and peaceful. It shows you it's true flavors, and provides your body with adequate nutrition and energy. But eating for your health is different. It has a subtleness to it that is intriguing, and makes you pay attention. It's hard for me to explain, because it has been over time that I have felt the shift, but I am starting to look at my food in a different way. 

   I have gone beyond food cravings, and have moved toward nutrient cravings. My focus now is to provide my body with life giving nutrients. I haven't given up taste, as you can see in this chocolate chia breakfast, but I have an increased awareness of how the foods I put in my body are affecting me. Maybe I can explain it by saying it is like the difference between seeing yourself as a body, and seeing yourself as an organism made up of  trillions of cells.  And realizing that every cell needs to be provided with the fuel (nutrition) it needs to function individually, bodily, and universally.

   Eating for your health is about eating with intention.  It is setting the intention to provide your body with nutrients, and to not harm the environment that we rely on for survival. It is about choosing foods first for their optimal nutrition, and then combining them for optimal taste and pleasure. And it is intentionally, providing a calm focus to the experience of eating. It is eating with complete awareness-no distractions. Above all, it is understanding the profound significance of the simple statement-you are what you eat. 
   

   Chia seeds are another superfood. They are an excellent plant-based source of omega-3 fatty acids, and are high in antioxidants. They also provide a significant amount of fiber.  Because they have no discernible taste, they can be added to almost any food for added nutrition. I like to add some to my salad dressings, and drinks. They can also be used in baking to bind together ingredients. When hydrated chia seeds form a gel around each seed, and become mucilaginous. They are the base for the recipe below.

Chocolate Strawberry Chia Pudding Parfait

serves 5-6

For this parfait layer the chocolate chia pudding with the strawberry chia jam, and add fruit and nuts of your choice between the layers. I used sliced strawberries, bananas, and walnuts. You could also add coconut. 

Chocolate chia pudding

2 c. almond milk ( or other non dairy milk)

5 T. chia seeds

1/4 c. cacoa powder

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 chopped dates

small pinch of salt
sweetener

Mix the first 6 ingredients in a blender. Then adjust for sweetness by adding a bit of stevia, or honey or maple syrup. Don't make it too sweet. The fruit will add sweetness. Let this sit for several hours.

Strawberry chia jam
1 lb of strawberries washed and sliced
3 T. of chia seeds
1 tsp. of lemon juice
sweetener to taste

Mix all the ingredients in the blender. Again adding the sweetener last. Let sit for several hours.

Assemble the parfait. Don't forget the nuts, or other crunchy topping. You will want it to contrast with the (mucilaginous) texture of the chia seeds. 

It will keep for a few days in the refrigerator.

Note: chia seeds and cacao can be found on a Amazon. Click  HERE for chia seeds, or   HERE  for cacao powder.

South Western Sweet Potato Skillet

with egg

      It's not that I don't know where eggs come from, but after a lifetime of seeing them neatly organized into convenient  packages of 6 or 12 in the brightly lit refrigerated section of the supermarket, I wasn't prepared for the emotional experience of lifting a freshly lain egg from its nest, and holding it in my hands. The feeling was somewhere between finding an unexpected gift under the tree on Christmas morning, and reaching into the candy jar when no one was looking. I felt exhilarated, wide eyed with wonder, and well - a little bit guilty. I then decided that this egg was given freely, and accepted it with deep gratitude.

Caramelized Bananas

   How to turn an everyday, taken for granted banana into something luxurious.

      I almost forgot about these bananas, until my birthday this year, when my friends Jenna and Jeff invited me over for dinner. They didn't know what to serve me, so I told them I wanted campfire food. I think they were a bit thrown by this request, but you see my birthday is at the end of September, so I thought that sitting around a campfire on a cool fall night would be just the thing. We managed to come up with a delicious menu. You know- potatoes wrapped in foil and all that. I offered to  bring some peaches to grill, but wouldn't you know it,  my local co-op didn't have any to offer (in Sept.!) Anyway, I brought bananas instead, and a pint of gelato as a backup.
   Well, my friends were quite impressed  with the grilled bananas. The firmness of the bananas had relaxed from the heat of the grill, taking on a moist silky texture. Their browned sugars added a hint of caramel.  Here is a stove top version that I have been making for years.  They are great over ice cream, french toast, or even on their own, but this time I put them on my oatmeal with a splash of almond milk, and I have to say I felt very decadent and pleased with myself. It was almost like having a piece of rich sweet banana bread for breakfast. Almost.

This isn't much of recipe, but here it is.
bananas (1 per person)
coconut oil or butter for the pan
a squeeze of orange juice (optional) 
something to sprinkle on top - sesame seeds, coconut,or  toasted nuts

   In a large saute pan over medium heat, put enough coconut oil (or butter if you like) to lightly coat the bottom.
   Slice the bananas in half the long way and place them in the pan. 
Do not move them around. You want them to start to brown before you turn them over. This will take a few minutes.  
   Turn them carefully with a spatula. Expect them to be a bit stuck.
   After a couple of minutes on the other side, splash them with a good squeeze of orange juice (about 1/4 of an orange per banana). Remove the bananas from the pan before all the juice evaporates. Scrape any bits of banana from the pan and pour the bits and the juice over the bananas.  Top with some seeds or nuts. Serve.

A splash of bourbon in the pan could be nice here, but maybe not for breakfast. I'll leave that up to you.