STRAWBERRY CHIA JAM
I had lots of delicious home grown Strawberries but unfortunately some of them had been nibbled on by insects (not sure what they are called here in Ireland but we used to call them Butcher Boys!!) anyway, I thought I would use the less than perfect ones to make some Chia Jam.
Chia Jam is a lovely way to have the sweetness of Jam, but with the added benefit of the Fibre and Protein of the Chia Seeds.
The recipe I used is from the CookBook, “The Good Life Eatery Cookbook” by Shirin Kouros and Yasmine Larizahed.
I halved the recipe but I will give you the full recipe here. The Jam lasts three weeks in the fridge. You need a sterilised Jam Jar to put the prepared Jam into. I sterilise my jars by putting them in the dishwasher – make sure they are totally dry before using.
- 600g Strawberries
- 100g Coconut Sugar (recipe says can use honey, but it would not be Vegan then)
- 2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract (not flavouring)
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- Finely grated Zest of 1 Lemon
- 100g Chia Seeds
Hull and 1/2 the strawberries (1/4 them if large)
Put the Strawberries, Coconut Sugar, Vanilla, Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest into a saucepan and cook over a medium heat until the mixture starts to bubble. Lower the heat and cook gently for 30 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the mixture to a blender (I used my NutriBullet) and blitz until smooth or your desired consistency. You can leave it chunky or have it smooth.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, and slowly stir in the Chia Seeds. Mix well so the Chia Seeds do not clump together.
Pour the Jam into the Sterilised Jam Jar and leave to cool. Seal and store in the fridge.
Serve as you would any Jam. It is actually delicious a little dollop on vanilla ice cream (either dairy free or not) and would be lovely with some yoghurt (again dairy free or not).
