‘Blurred Limes’ four ingredient chia seed puddings

Rachel Payas is a Gibraltarian food enthusiast and blogger, and self confessed ‘girl obsessed with food’.

Known on social media as Blurred Limes, Ms Payas is also known for her ability to fuse different foods and create dishes that make others want to get in the kitchen.

Her food is known for bringing comfort, the feeling of being nourished and an overall general satisfaction.
This week's dish is a healthy chia seed pudding.

Her recipes will appear monthly in the Chronicle.

Follow her foodie adventures @blurredlimesgib on both Facebook and Instagram.

Four ingredient chia seed puddings

As temperatures rise, I find myself reaching to the fridge and freezer for cooler snacks at this time of year. As much as I love ice cream, eating it every single day isn’t the best of choices. I discovered chia seeds during Veganuary earlier this year and found incorporating them into dairy free yoghurts and milks created a creamy thick textured dessert. After some research, here is my recipe for fool proof four ingredient chia seed puddings.

To make one serving (double, triple, quadruple the recipe as required)

You will need;
1 tbs of chia seeds
1 tbs of yoghurt
4 tbs of milk
¼ of a tsp of vanilla extract

1. In a small bowl, measure out 1 tablespoon of chia seeds, one tablespoon of your favourite yoghurt and 4 tablespoons of your favourite milk and mix well. This recipe can be totally veganised, or not. I used coconut dairy free yoghurt and hazelnut milk for this version pictured here.
2. Add in a quarter of a teaspoon of the highest quality vanilla extract you can find. I have even used the insides of a vanilla pod before which adds a great brightness to the pudding.
3. Mix together well and spoon into small jars or bowls. Make sure you leave enough space to add your toppings later. Leave for at least 8 hours in the fridge or preferably, overnight. The mixture does thicken up substantially as the seeds soak up the liquid. If you want a smoother texture, add more milk upon serving. Alternatively if you want a chunkier texture, reduce the milk by one tablespoon.
4. My favourite part about this dish is the customisable aspect. Now you’ve got the base recipe covered, you can pick your add ons at leisure. To the liquid mixture, you can add a variety of dried spices. I like using cinnamon and nutmeg in mine, just a pinch is plenty. You can also add fresh fruits, blitzed in the blender and mixed up and left to set in the mix. Berries and aged bananas work well here.
5. Finally, for the decoration. For a more indulgent chia pudding, you can top it with drizzles of chocolate, maple syrup, nuts or my personal favourite, crushed biscuits. If you’re after a more healthy treat however, fresh fruit with mint leaves and honey works just as well.

Pictured here are two of my creations. The first – cinnamon, white chocolate hazelnut and Lotus Biscoff spread. The second – blueberries and maple syrup. Enjoy!