Ch-Ch-Ch Chia Pudding!

I was astonished the first time I learned that people were eating chia seeds. This is probably because I hadn't thought about chia since the 80's and that was in a different incarnation. 

But the same chia seeds that can make you a chia pet are actually full of fibre, healthy omega fats and have magical liquid absorbing powers. Add enough liquid to chia seeds and you get chia gel. A seemingly popular use for this has been chia pudding. 

To make mine, I added a cup of vanilla almond milk to a quarter of a cup of chia seeds and left it in the fridge overnight. When I pulled it out for breakfast the next morning all the liquid was completely absorbed. I added a dash of cinnamon and dug in.

The chia gel is neutrally flavoured so I was mainly tasting the almond milk and cinnamon. Clearly, seasoning is paramount when eating chia gel straight up. A bit of honey stirred in improved the taste a bit, but it was still an odd textural experience. I don't think I'll be jumping on the chia pudding bandwagon but I do hope to use it as an egg substitute, like in these amazing chocolate chip yum cookies.