This week’s guest post comes from Kristina of Girl Gone Grits. Kristina is not only the author of a really great food blog, but also a professional food stylist! How’s that for a dream job? Kristina teams up with food photographer Melissa Skorpil to create gorgeous pictures of food. You can learn more about Kristina’s adventures in food styling by checking out this post from her blog. Thank you, Kristina, for taking the time share a guest post on Mary Makes Dinner!
So to be clear before we start – I’m not Vegan! But, I love ALL food, so cooking vegan is not a problem for me, especially when it involves guest posting for my lovely mama friend Mary Helen. Mary Helen has come to my rescue and guest posted for me on more than one occasion, so coming up with a vegan recipe for her, to give her a little break from blogging and some much needed “mama” time, is an honor.
One of my favorite desserts when I was a kid was tapioca or rice pudding. I loved puddings of all types and still do today. I love old-fashioned golden custards and creamy crème brulees. A cool and fruity boba tea is always a treat. I guess you could say I’m into textures.
I first came across chia seeds a couple years ago when I started a low glycemic diet and wanted to have something yummy, creamy and filling for dessert. You can add any liquid to chia seeds and get a wonderfully thick consistency in a super quick time with no cooking. I like to use coconut almond milk and fruit juices, as they are something I always have on hand.
This particular recipe came about because I was craving a pina colada and did not want the added alcohol. I had pineapple in the freezer for my smoothies and some cans of rich and creamy coconut milk in the fridge that needed to be used up. I also got a can of heavy coconut milk found in the Asian food aisle of my grocer. Grocery stores also have “lite” coconut milk. It will work fine but I really wanted some of that heavy delicious cream because this was a dessert after all. If you get a chance to go to an Asian market you will more than likely find 10 or more different brands of coconut milk. I like a variety so I buy several to have on hand. You can use coconut water for this recipe but it will be clear and less creamy.
I sure hope by the time this post goes up I will have properly introduced myself to Charlie. Now that I think about it, I should probably bring some pudding for Mama too. Keep a bag of Chia seeds in the fridge because you never know when you might need a quick and healthy vegan dessert. Plus, it gives a whole new meaning to “Cha Cha Cha Chia”… I’m jus’ sayin’!
Pina Colada Chia Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 Cup of fresh Pineapple (diced bite size)
- 1 Cup Coconut milk (with cream)
- 1 Cup of Pineapple Juice
- 1/3-Cup Chia Seeds
- 1 Tbs. of Agave nectar *optional, if you would like it sweeter
- Garnish with toasted fresh-grated coconut
Directions
Mix ingredients together, cover and let sit for 3 hours. Should be thick and creamy for several days.