Plum & Chia Seed Crumble

Every year, our ancient plum tree yields beautiful, sweet and juicy plums.  The only trouble we have is reaching the ones at the top of the tree, which usually get left for the birds and other flying creatures.

The other day, we collected this fabulous basketful of plums, so after eating a few just as they are, I decided to create a new dessert, using chia seeds.

The amounts for this plum crumble dessert are approximate.  After a few of the plums were eaten from the basket, I had just over 1kg left.

Ingredients

Just over 1kg Plums

1 tbsp ground Chia Seeds

2 tbsp Muscovado Sugar

Crumble Ingredients

2 tbsp Coconut Oil

2 tbsp Butter - chopped into pieces

4 tbsp ground Almonds

2 tbsp Muscovado Sugar

4 tbsp Oats

2 tbsp ground Chia Seeds

6 tbsp Plain Flour

2 tbsp shredded Coconut

extra Muscovado Sugar - for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Wash and de-stone the plums.  Cut them into quarters and put them into a deep casserole dish.

Sprinkle over the chia seeds and sugar and mix well to combine.

Mix all the crumble ingredients in a bowl with clean fingers until it becomes crumbly.  (You could use a blender if you wish and stir in the shredded coconut at the end).

Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the plums.  Add a little extra sugar over the top.

Pop it in the preheated oven for approx. 30 mins, until starting to brown on top.

Serve with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream, or custard.

Enjoy!

Caryl ♥

Using Chia Seeds in Bolognese Sauce

Having discovered the wonderful health benefits of Chia Seeds, I am incorporating them into our daily meals.  The easiest way I've found so far, is to grind them up as finely as possible and use them in place of flour.

Last night, I used them in my bolognese sauce - Caryl's Cooking Creations: Bolognese Sauce - and it was just as good as ever, while none of my fussy family members even noticed!

Enjoy!

Caryl ♥

Blueberry Chia Seed Muffins

More playing with chia seeds in this healthy blueberry muffin treat!

These were deliciously wholesome, not too sweet.  They also disappeared VERY quickly!


Ingredients

1 cup fresh Blueberries
2 tbsp Chia Seeds
3/4 cup Whole wheat flour
1 cup Plain flour
1 tbsp Baking powder
60g Butter
3 tbsp Honey
2 large Eggs - beaten
1/2 cup Creme Fraiche (or sour cream)
1/4 cup Milk
1 tsp Vanilla

Makes 12 muffins

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.

Firstly, rinse the blueberries and leave to dry.  Grind the chia seeds finely - this should make approx. 1/4 cup of chia flour.  Sift this with the other flours and baking powder into a bowl.  Melt the butter with the honey and combine with beaten eggs, creme fraiche, milk and vanilla.  Pour over the flour and mix lightly with a fork, until just moistened.  Carefully fold in the blueberries, without crushing.

Put large spoonfuls of the mixture into well-greased muffin pans - approx. 3/4 full.  Bake in oven for approx. 20 minutes, or until well risen and golden.  Transfer to a wire rack.

Delicious served warm, but I'm sure they would also be just as good when cool - if there are any left that is! :)

Caryl ♥

Leek & Courgette Flan with Chia Seed Pastry

So, here's another really clever way to incorporate chia seeds into a family meal.  This is also a really easy pastry that doesn't need chilling and rolling.

Pastry Ingredients - (this just about makes a 9 inch pie shell.  I need to rework the amounts to fit the size better.)

90g Butter
2-1/2 tbsp milk
salt
2 tbsp Chia seeds
1 cup Self-raising flour - (less 2 tbsp)
1/2 tsp Baking powder


Put the butter and milk in a pan over a low heat, just until the butter melts.

Finely grind the chia seeds.  (I used my little coffee grinder).  Mix the ground seeds with the flour and baking powder, then add the flour mixture to the butter and milk.  Stir well, to form a ball.  Gently pat into a lightly buttered pie plate, keeping it as even as possible and building up the sides.  (I like to keep it very thin on the bottom and then allow the sides to be a little thicker).

Put aside, in the fridge, while preparing the filling.


Filling Ingredients

Butter
3 cloves Garlic - crushed
2 Leeks - washed and sliced
1 large Courgette (Zucchini) - sliced
1 Red Pepper (Capsicum) - chopped
3 large Eggs
1/2 tub Creme Fraiche (sour cream)
1/2 cup Milk
Strong cheese - grated


Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.

Put a good size knob of butter into a pan, add the garlic and leeks, stirring well until the leeks start to soften.  Add the courgettes and peppers, stir, then pop the lid on the pan and leave to soften and create a little of their own juices.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs well.  Stir in the creme fraiche and milk, and season to taste.

Give the veggies a good stir and pour into the pastry case.  Spread evenly.  Sprinkle a good handful, or so, of cheese over the top.  Transfer the dish to the oven shelf, then carefully pour the egg mixture over the top.  (I find this easier than pouring it all into the dish and then trying to transfer it to the oven without spills!)  Sprinkle a little paprika over the top to make it look pretty, if desired.

Bake in oven, at 190 degrees C, for approx. 20 mins.  Turn down to 180 degrees C and cook for another 15 mins.

Serve with a nice salad.  Enjoy!

Caryl ♥

Chia Seed Smoothie

I have recently started incorporating chia seeds into some of my recipes.  I love their versatility and they are a real superfood when it comes to healthy goodness.  This is what I had for breakfast this morning.  It was delicious!

Ingredients

1 banana - I used one that I had in the freezer
1/2 cucumber - I left the skin on, but you can peel it if you wish
2 handfuls frozen blueberries
3/4 cup orange/passionfruit juice - any juice would work, or water
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tbs chia seeds


Firstly, peel the banana and cut into chunks.  Drop them into a blender.  Cut the cucumber into chunks and drop them into the blender with the banana.  Add the blueberries, juice, coconut oil and chia seeds.

Blend until smooth and the consistency is how you want it.

Drink.  Enjoy!

Caryl ♥

Aubergine & Mushroom Lasagne - 1

I love aubergines, otherwise known as eggplant.  They are easy to cook and contrary to some beliefs, you don't always have to salt and rinse them before use.  For this recipe, I made my own tomato sauce, but you could use a bottled pasta sauce if you prefer.

Ingredients

Olive Oil

Garlic cloves - I used 2

Aubergines (eggplants) - I used 2, sliced crossways

Large portobello mushrooms - I used 6, thickly sliced

Butter

Salt

Pepper

Creme fraiche (or cream, or sour cream)

Lasagne noodles

Ricotta cheese 250g

Cheddar cheese, grated

Tomato Sauce

Olive Oil

Onions - I used 2, finely chopped

Garlic cloves - I used 3, crushed

2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

Dried Oregano

Dried Basil

Tomato Paste

Water

Sugar

Salt

Pepper

Firstly, slice the aubergines crossways, into slices.  Brush both sides of each slice with some olive oil mixed with crushed garlic.  Place the slices on a tray and grill until golden brown, then turn over and grill the other side.

To make the tomato sauce, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan and cook the onions and garlic over a low heat.  Keep stirring until they are soft and golden.  Add the tomatoes, a good shake of herbs, approx. 3 tablespoons of tomato paste dissolved in 1/2 cup of water, a spoonful of sugar, salt & pepper to taste.  Stir well.  Cover and simmer for approx. 30 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

Meanwhile, slice the mushrooms into thick slices.  Heat a little butter and olive oil in a frying pan and toss in the mushrooms.  Stir briefly over the heat, until just softening, then season with salt and pepper.  Pour in the creme fraiche, stir well and turn off the heat.

Grease a large ovenproof dish.  Put in approx. 1/2 a cup of tomato sauce, then add a layer of lasagne noodles.  Crumble some ricotta cheese over, then put a layer of grilled aubergine slices.  Cover with half the mushroom mixture.  Repeat with more noodles, ricotta, tomato sauce, remaining aubergines and mushroom mixture.  Finish with another layer of noodles, the remaining ricotta and tomato sauce.

Sprinkle thickly with grated cheddar cheese and dot with butter.  Bake in oven preheated to 180C for approx. 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve with a crispy lettuce salad and enjoy!

Caryl ♥