Blueberry Chocolate Chia Pudding

I've been absent for two weeks and damn!, it felt like an eternity. I'm not sure if someone has missed me (well, my recipes) but I kind of feel guilty whenever I can't prepare new stuff for the blog. Plus this week I'm beginning to notice the awful symptoms of spring asthenia (fatigue) and so my energy levels have been quite low...and to top it all off I got the sad news that my all-time favorite band (sharing that #1 position with Type O Negative), finnish goth-metal band H.I.M., has split up and will do a farewell tour this year. On a brighter note, I got tickets for their show in Barcelona right before they sold out! Anyways, my little fangirl heart is broken for the second time (the first time was when TON's vocalist died :-(...rip Peter!).

Okay, no more space for negative thoughts nor grumpiness; let's talk about food! Because something delicious can help you mend a broken heart (ice cream, anyone? lol)...and when we are talking about healthy and yummy food then the equation is perfect. Who would have thought that tiny chia seeds could be such great nutrition powerhouses and create a tasty chocolate pudding? I pity those who think that healthy food is boring.

To make things a bit more 'appealing' I combined this pudding with a super easy blueberry coulis and my most chritic recipe tester (aka my sister) loved the contrast of flavors. I personally think blueberry and chocolate go so well together. Try mixing it with your favorite fruit sauce or jam, you can also leave it au natural and it will taste great too! Toppings are also optional but they do take any breakfast, dessert or snack to the next level so I highly recommend you to top this pudding with whatever you fancy.

Now I'm off to treat myself with a sweet afternoon snack which, by the way, will be next week's recipe. I won't reveal anything about it because you know that I like to keep some mistery and rarely share a preview of my next recipe. All I can say is that after several failed attempts I think I finally got it!...and yes, there's some chocolate involved. ;-)

¡Receta en español clickando este enlace!

Blueberry Chocolate Chia Pudding
(2 servings)

Ingredients
- Chia pudding:
4 tablespoons chia seeds.
3 teaspoons raw cacao powder.
1/2 cup oat milk.
2 teaspoons coconut syrup.
2 teaspoons lucuma powder.
- Blueberry coulis:
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries.
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup.
- Toppings:
Fresh or frozen blueberries.
Banana slices.
Cacao nibs.
Hemp seeds.

Notes:

- I used oat milk cause is my favorite one but feel free to use any other plant-based milk.

- Coconut syrup works really well in this recipe, it gives a slightly toasty, caramel-like sweetness but of course maple syrup is also a great option (and even agave or rice syrup, though the delicious taste might be compromised).

- If you can't find lucuma powder here are other good alternatives: açai powder, hemp seed powder, maca powder, some plant-based vanilla flavored protein powder, etc.

Directions

In a medium bowl mix well all the pudding ingredients until completely combined. Taste and adjust sweetness if you desire. Transfer to a jar with a lid or an airtight container and let the chia seeds soak up the liquid until it reaches a pudding-like consistency, around 15 minutes approximately.
Transfer the pudding to the fridge if you are making this recipe a day in advance. This pudding doesn't really need to set overnight like some raw oatmeals, chia seeds absorb the liquid pretty fast and I only recommend to store it in the fridge to keep it fresh and in good conditions if you are not planning to eat it right after making it.

While the pudding sets prepare the blueberry coulis: simply put the blueberries in a medium saucepan over low-medium heat and pour in the maple syrup. Stir together and cook until the blueberries begin to thaw (mine were frozen) and then mash them with a fork to help them release their juices. When the sauce begins to boil, reduce the heat and stir until thickened. The coulis should have an intense dark purple color.

To serve cover the base of each jar with the desired amount of blueberry coulis, fill each one with the chia pudding and add the toppings. You can lightly swirl the pudding and the sauce together to create a beautiful effect.