One of my favorite low-carb sites is Carolyn's All Day I Dream About Food. Recently she posted about the food she eats in a day -- with that post she included this recipe for her version of *Cream of Wheat*. I am ALL-ABOUT eating hot cereal and have missed that. Coupled with the fact that recently I am OBSESSED with breakfast, fast-tracked this recipe to the top of my *to-try* list.
I had never used chia seeds before ordering some to make this cereal. Chia actually gets its name from the Mayan word for “strength” and these little seeds ARE nutritional powerhouses. This cereal is now a regular in my break-the-fast routine and that alone would be reason enough to keep these in my pantry BUT wait until you see the chia pudding!!
Chia-Flaxmeal Hot Cereal -
aka Low Carb Cream of *Wheat*
From: All Day I Dream About Food
2 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
2 tsp Swerve (or whatever sweetener you prefer)
1/2 c boiling unsweetened almond milk (the original recipe called for water)
2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
1/2 c red raspberries - fresh or frozen with no sugar-added
Pour the boiling milk over seeds/sweetener combination in a pretty good sized bowl and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes.
Top with 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream and 1/2 c red raspberries (almost a berry for each bite).
Calories: 327 Net carbs: 3.34 (the carbs are from the raspberries only) - fiber is 18.5g so drink your water!!
The brand of chia that I ordered is Nutiva. On their webpage they state that chia has many uses including topping yogurt and oatmeal, or in smoothies, added to sauces as a thickener and to muffins and cakes as an egg replacement. The other thing I was eager to try was chia pudding - you see it has a very tapioca kind of quality to it. I came up with a recipe for pudding that is perfect for the season but there are SOOOOO many great ideas. I am including this link to A Chia Pudding Primer at Food52 - the recipe listed there is my next try. Overall, I really like this product and not only does it pack a HUGE nutritional punch, it is very low-carb lifestyle friendly. Got to love a little ch-ch-ch-chia!!
Pumpkin Pie Chia Seed Pudding
1/4 cup chia seeds
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (I use a zero net carb kind)
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
4 tsp granulated sweetener (I used Swerve)
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to overnight (or even a few days!). Scoop it, garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg or cinnamon, and enjoy! Serves 2.
Calories: 256 Net carbs: 2.30 - and a whopping 13g of fiber.
Disclaimer: I use FatSecret.com to calculate carb counts based on the product brands used.