Sidonie Maroon

I had a gigantic bag of chia seeds in my fridge because they were an ingredient in my gluten-free pancake mix. My husband regularly ate pancakes for breakfast, with butter and maple syrup, and never gained an ounce. If I even look at a pancake, the scale climbs — but that’s another story.

His pancake phase ended, but the chia seeds remained. 

I wasn’t fond of chia seeds. I know they’re super nutritious — high in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, manganese, fiber, are a prebiotic and antioxidant — but it wasn’t enough to budge me into action. I didn’t know what to do with them. 

A few years ago my son taught me how to make chia puddings, but truthfully, I found them glumpy and more a “supposed to eat this because it’s good for you” dish than something to look forward to making.  

Then the magic moment happened: I was listening to a health guru on YouTube while folding laundry, and Dr. Somebody mentioned we don’t get the omega-3 benefits unless we grind the chia seeds first. Grind the chia seed! What a good idea, and that would solve the gelatinous fish egg texture issue, create a creamy base, and we’d get our omega-3s.   

I made a chocolate chia mousse, then a black pepper and fig mousse. We were eating chia puddings, but the weather was warmer, so I wondered how would they freeze? Delicious! I ordered some white chia seeds to see if I could make a frozen raspberry chia popsicle. I wondered if I could make Frozen Chia Cream Sandwiches? My attempt became a family favorite called Cook-Creams. My favorite are Chia Bugbites, which are chia creams poured into a set of silicone insect molds. I’ve poured them into popsicle and silicone cupcake molds with brilliant success. 

Basic Mousse Recipe

Makes 1 quart 

Ingredients   

3 tablespoons roasted carob

2 tablespoons roasted chicory 

OR use 5 tablespoons Dutched cocoa   

3 tablespoons chia seeds

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of salt  

¼ teaspoon guar gum (optional) but it makes the cream smoother and cuts down on ice crystals   

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes 

1/3 cup raw cashews

1 banana

½ teaspoon liquid monk fruit or sweetener of choice     

1 2/3 cup water 

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions 

Grind dry ingredients together into a powder. Blend everything together in a high-speed blender until smooth. Mold and freeze.

What I’ve learned 

Grind the chia seed into a powder. Use a high-speed blender to make the chia creams.  

A little guar gum, about ¼ teaspoon, makes the frozen treats extra creamy. 

These treats don’t need any added sugar! Use monk fruit, stevia, deglet dates, or sweetener of choice instead. 

Make the mix creamy by using: coconut cream, raw cashews, or heavy cream. A tablespoon of sunflower seeds will add a lecithin smoothness. 

A pinch of salt is good for frozen sweets. 

3 tablespoons of roasted carob with 2 tablespoons roasted chicory root makes a dark chocolate flavor, or just use cocoa. A touch of cinnamon with chocolate is delicious.  

Frozen Raspberry Chia Pops 

Makes one quart

This is a win-win summer recipe, because chia pops are fun to make, delicious to eat, and wildly healthy.   

Ingredients 

4 tablespoons white chia seeds (regular chia seeds will work, but the pop color will be darker.) 

¼ teaspoon guar gum (optional, but makes pop creamier) 

Pinch of sea salt

3 cups raspberries 

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 teaspoon liquid monk fruit or sweetener of choice 

14-ounce can full fat coconut milk, or 1 ¾ cup heavy cream, or creamy nut milk of choice

Directions

Using a spice grinder or high-speed blender, grind the chia seeds, salt and guar gum into a powder. 

In a blender, and preferably a high-speed blender, puree all the ingredients together, reserving one cup of the raspberries. 

Mix the remaining raspberries into the puree. 

Pour into molds of choice and freeze until solid. I like to use silicone, or popsicle molds. I unmold from the silicone and wrap in pastry paper and a ziplock to store.  

(Sidonie Maroon is culinary educator at The Food Co-op; abluedotkitchen.com. Follow Sidonie on The Food Co-op’s Facebook group, Cooking with the Co-op.)