Coconut and Lime Chia with Strawberries and Maple Macadamias

Who doesn’t love a dessert that is respectable enough to eat for breakfast?!

For as long as I can remember I have struggled with breakfast. I am not one of those people who wake up in the morning craving food. Before anything, I need a coffee. My partner Che learnt the hard way not to talk to me before I am caffeinated in the morning. To say I am grumpy would be kind. I am very lucky that Che takes the kids every morning, makes me a coffee and allows me some alone time to come to terms with the start of the day. Once the caffeine has done it’s thing and I am busy with the kids, breakfast is often forgotten.

Enter chia pudding. Now this is a breakfast I can get excited about. Chia is a great source of protein and this is super easy to whip up the night before. This chia pudding is based on an amazing breakfast I had at Addict café in Fitzroy. The key is to use Kara coconut cream. I have tried with other varieties and nothing is as good. If you can’t find Kara (in a UHT box), try and use the best coconut cream you can buy. In Melbourne you can find it in most Asian specialty shops.

This is another recipe we served at the Commonground Festival and it was a hit. I love the combination of creamy chia, tart strawberries and crunchy sweet maple macadamias. I really hope you enjoy this recipe; it is one of my all time favourite things to eat.

Coconut and Lime Chia, Strawberry and Maple Macadamias

Prep time: 40 minutes

Soaking time: 2 hours

Makes: 4 serves Dietary guide:

This recipe is gluten free, FODMAP friendly, vegan and dairy free

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of black chia seeds

1 cup of Kara coconut cream (or half a cup of coconut cream and ½ a cup of coconut water)

Zest of 1 lime

1 teaspoon of vanilla paste or the seeds from half a vanilla bean

2 teaspoons of caster sugar or maple syrup

For the strawberries

400g of fresh ripe strawberries

1 teaspoon of lemon juice strained

1 teaspoon – 1 tablespoon (depending on how sweet you like it) of caster sugar or maple syrup

For the macadamias

80g of raw unsalted macadamias broken or roughly chopped

1 teaspoon of vanilla paste

1 tablespoon of maple syrup

1 tablespoon of caster sugar

Method

For the chia, place all ingredients except the chia seeds into a medium mixing bowl. Sprinkle the chia over the top and immediately start stirring with a whisk or spoon. It’s important to start mixing straight away to avoid any clumps of chia forming. Once it is evenly mixed, set aside for half an hour, stirring a few times. You can now store in the fridge. It will be ready to serve after about 1-½ hours. If you find it too thick add little more coconut water or cream.

Meanwhile make the maple macadamia’s. Pre-heat the oven to 130 degrees C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Mix the macadamia nuts, sugar, maple and vanilla in a bowl and scape out onto the baking paper spreading the nuts out as much as possible. Bake for ten minutes; remove from the oven and stir. This can be a bit tricky as it is so sticky. I find it helps using the edges of the baking paper to helps move the nuts about. Place back in the oven and repeat this process until the nuts are nice and golden. Be careful as the can go too brown very quickly once they start to change colour. I suggest from experience using a timer! When you are happy, set the nuts aside to cool. You may need to break them up a little before serving as they can stick together.

Now for the strawberry sauce. Chop half (200g) of the strawberries and place them into a saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice. Simmer for 10 minutes on a low heat stirring a few times. Set aside to cool. I like mine chunky but you can puree if you like.

Divide the chia mix into 4 individual serving glasses or bowls. Chop the remaining 200g of strawberries. Top the chia with the fresh strawberries and the strawberry sauce and sprinkle the macadamias on top. Make sure you do this final part just before serving otherwise the nuts will go soggy. And now enjoy!