Coconut Chia Pudding with Mango and Mint! Perfect for these warm days

Most of us adore having comfort food and enjoying it together with friends - it serves its purpose momentarily however the traditional definition of comfort food is often things that really aren't ..very good at all. Fried chicken, biscuits, chowders, pastries, pies, chili, lasagna, ice cream and well, you get the point. They end up making us feel worse in the long run and to be honest, not too long after we are done eating them.

I recently went to Shophouse, an asian spinoff of Chipotle where the dessert is mango and sticky rice. It was delicious! But I thought to myself, how can I make this even better? Then, I found this recipe. Its raw, its real and its good for you. No, REALLY. You can't go wrong with this, unless you overdo the sugar :P

It uses Chia seeds - which if you don't already know are a wonder child and versatile - expand when soaked. They are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, protein, calcium and they take some of the bad boys with them on their way out of your body. Like I said, this is a powerhouse treat! I skipped the sweetener and opted for some mango pulp instead, and you can skip the lime too or opt for grated lime instead. Either way, you just can't go wrong here :) Enjoy!

What you Need:
Serves
2

For the chia pudding:
2 cups coconut milk (buy a carton or make your own; see recipe below)
⅓ cup chia seeds
1.5 TBSP sweetener of choice (raw honey/maple syrup/stevia)
⅓ tsp ground cinnamon

Toppings:
1 ripe mango, peeled and cubed/sliced
handful of fresh mint (Moroccan mint goes really well)
pinch of chia seeds
pinch sesame seeds
1 TBSP coconut yogurt per serving (you can omit this if you don’t have any available, but it’s gorgeous with)
A bit of freshly squeezed lime juice (don’t worry if you have none, it’s awesome without as well)
optional: bee pollen

To make coconut milk:
2 cups water
½ cup coconut (dry, shredded, dessicated – whatever you have, just not flour)
pinch sea salt flakes
pinch vanilla seeds

How to Prepare: If you’re making coconut milk only for this recipe, the easiest way is to add everything to the blender, both the ingredients for the coconut milk and for the pudding, except the chia seeds. 

1) Add: water, coconut (dry, shredded or dessicated), pinch sea salt, vanilla seeds, cinnamon and sweetener. Blitz until you get frothy milk.

For the purpose of this recipe, there is no need to strain the milk as the pulp will give the pudding more creaminess.

2) Pour the spiced coconut milk to a bowl or mason jar, add the chia seeds and give it a good stir or shake. Cover it and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour (until the chia fully expands and absorbs all the milk) or overnight.

3) Add the toppings and be prepared to be dazzled.

Serve chilled.

Hat Tip: raw guru

Nida Kazmi
Twitter: @nida84