Ch-ch-ch-chia
I apparently no longer bother to post wrapups, which were boring and I wasn't doing much of anything anyhow. I am having attacks of the sleeps again. Sleep doctor sent me to get my iron and ferretin checked, and referred me to a gastroenterologist. My BiPAP is now working very well, at least... no leaks and apnea events are now in normal range, and I am using it a lot because I can. But the continuing aerophagia is a concern.
My current obsessional ingredient is chia, which I was actually aware of before it became the latest "superfood" because it's a salvia with edible seed that can be harvested pretty easily by hand, so it cropped up during my interest in edible plants, though I never actually got my hands on any back then. Now it's easy to find, so I'm trying it out... especially after I tried a drink with it and thought it was very tasty and realized that I could pay a lot less if I hydrated it myself.
It can be eaten plain and is a mild and nutty-tasting small seed, a little like poppy seed only oval instead of round.
The cool or perhaps evil thing about chia, depending on your tastes, is that when you soak it, it gels up. This gel is slippery but not slimy or sticky, rather like a soft gelatine, and it comes off rather like very tiny boba in boba tea. People who like boba tea, or basil seeds (which I haven't tried yet but now want to), or jelly bits in their drinks, will probably really like it. Even people who don't might -- texturally it comes off more like pulpy orange juice than boba. And unlike boba it's not pure starch; I *like* tapioca, but it's hard to justify as a daily or near-daily food. A very fine treat, but a staple? I seem to do better on complex carbs. Chia was reputedly used as a pick-me-up food for messengers, and it is in fact filling, both because it has a good amount of fat, protein, and fiber, and because the gelling makes it more physically bulky. I do find it more satiating than the same calories of soda, juice, or even of milk. I like it well enough that it helps me drink enough water during the day; I tend to under-hydrate so I can get a kick start on drinking enough by mixing a tablespoon of chia into a pint jar of water with a little flavoring. So far I've tried cucumber, lemon juice, lemon juice and a little honey, a little balsamic vinegar, and gari in various drinks. I think it would be very nice in iced tea, too, reminiscent of boba tea. It is probably a healthier snack than many of the things I snack on, while being interesting enough and nice tasting enough to also count as a treat.
I've also been making simple puddings out of it. The puddings are a lot like small pearl tapioca pudding (though finer in texture) and are lovely in that they require very little prep: simply mix it up and let sit for at least ten minutes, though they get stiffer if left overnight, and will also benefit from a good stirring or shaking after the initial gel has been released to keep the chia from clumping. I've been using milk, dried fruit, nuts, and sometimes spices or cocoa in these, and mixing two to three tablespoons per cup of milk. (I'm still tweaking the ratios for stiffness.) These make a decently filling and very easy breakfast.
I believe that, like flax seed, you can use it as an egg substitute for vegan cooking, or to replace xanthan or locust bean gum in gluten-free baking. Unlike flax seed it doesn't spoil quickly, and it has a nicer texture, and it's digestible even if eaten whole, so there isn't all of the grinding.
My current obsessional ingredient is chia, which I was actually aware of before it became the latest "superfood" because it's a salvia with edible seed that can be harvested pretty easily by hand, so it cropped up during my interest in edible plants, though I never actually got my hands on any back then. Now it's easy to find, so I'm trying it out... especially after I tried a drink with it and thought it was very tasty and realized that I could pay a lot less if I hydrated it myself.
It can be eaten plain and is a mild and nutty-tasting small seed, a little like poppy seed only oval instead of round.
The cool or perhaps evil thing about chia, depending on your tastes, is that when you soak it, it gels up. This gel is slippery but not slimy or sticky, rather like a soft gelatine, and it comes off rather like very tiny boba in boba tea. People who like boba tea, or basil seeds (which I haven't tried yet but now want to), or jelly bits in their drinks, will probably really like it. Even people who don't might -- texturally it comes off more like pulpy orange juice than boba. And unlike boba it's not pure starch; I *like* tapioca, but it's hard to justify as a daily or near-daily food. A very fine treat, but a staple? I seem to do better on complex carbs. Chia was reputedly used as a pick-me-up food for messengers, and it is in fact filling, both because it has a good amount of fat, protein, and fiber, and because the gelling makes it more physically bulky. I do find it more satiating than the same calories of soda, juice, or even of milk. I like it well enough that it helps me drink enough water during the day; I tend to under-hydrate so I can get a kick start on drinking enough by mixing a tablespoon of chia into a pint jar of water with a little flavoring. So far I've tried cucumber, lemon juice, lemon juice and a little honey, a little balsamic vinegar, and gari in various drinks. I think it would be very nice in iced tea, too, reminiscent of boba tea. It is probably a healthier snack than many of the things I snack on, while being interesting enough and nice tasting enough to also count as a treat.
I've also been making simple puddings out of it. The puddings are a lot like small pearl tapioca pudding (though finer in texture) and are lovely in that they require very little prep: simply mix it up and let sit for at least ten minutes, though they get stiffer if left overnight, and will also benefit from a good stirring or shaking after the initial gel has been released to keep the chia from clumping. I've been using milk, dried fruit, nuts, and sometimes spices or cocoa in these, and mixing two to three tablespoons per cup of milk. (I'm still tweaking the ratios for stiffness.) These make a decently filling and very easy breakfast.
I believe that, like flax seed, you can use it as an egg substitute for vegan cooking, or to replace xanthan or locust bean gum in gluten-free baking. Unlike flax seed it doesn't spoil quickly, and it has a nicer texture, and it's digestible even if eaten whole, so there isn't all of the grinding.