anyone here familiar with chia seeds?

[mzteris]

No - not the "pet kind"!


Comments, suggestions, "recipes", please.

[Warpy]

1. Eating them plain is like eating a mouthful of fleas

but they're quite nutritious. I'd add them to baked goods, mostly, although you could also sneak them into soups, stews, burgers, and other like things.

If you want specific things, I suggest Google.

[silverweb]

2. Yes.

I grind them up to add to home-made salad dressings, add them into a rice/quinoa mixture I make, mix some in when making spaghetti sauce, soups, etc.

They have no real taste of their own, but are very high in nutrients. Also, they become gelatinous when wet, so are useful as a thickener. In Mexico, they're blended into fruit drinks and ground into a flour called "salba," which is used for pastries, etc.

Because they are very hard, I grind them in a mortar & pestle if I'm not going to be cooking them; otherwise they don't get digested and the nutrients aren't available.

More information on nutrition and ideas for use here

On edit: When you first start eating chia seeds, you should be aware that they have a laxative effect. However, if you eat them regularly, that is not a prominent effect.

[mzteris]

3. Thanks -

just heard about these and wanted info from some who have tried them.

So you don't recommend the "sprinkle" method? They need to be ground first? Do you grind them when you make the gel? Also, do you eat the seeds when you make the gel, or just the clear gel?

Thanks for the tip about the laxative effect; I haven't seen that mentioned elsewhere.

[silverweb]

4. They're very versatile in use.

I haven't used the "sprinkle method," though I don't see why you couldn't. I'd just grind the seeds enough to crack the shells first, so that they don't pass through undigested and with all their nutrients still locked inside.

I don't make the gel separately at all. I just blend the seeds well into whatever liquid I'm using (for soup, smoothie, sauce, etc) and the gel thickens the mixture as it forms.

Once you start eating chia, I'm sure you'll think of many ways to use the seeds. My only real rule is to grind/crack the shells first if I won't be cooking them.

Enjoy!