Raspberry & Ginger Spelt Muffins

The blueberry ginger spelt muffins from Vegan Brunch are perfect for late August, combining fresh summer berries with a gingery hint of fall to come. Except the blueberries at the store looked crummy so I used raspberries instead. So good! The recipe also calls for crystalized ginger, which is brilliant in muffins.

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.

Kiwi Cabbage Kale Salad with Tahini-Garlic Dressing

For my seminal post it might be excepted that I would blog about tofu and potatoes. A reasonable expectation, but this salad contains neither.

This is a slightly adapted version of swell vegan's salad. Threw in some more kale because I'm in the I-like-raw-kale camp. Also subbed lime for lemon and decreased the raisin quantity to about half. Aside from being a bit acidic, this is a pretty delicious and virtuous salad.