Happy Toast Tuesday!
I decided to change things up a weeee bit for this week’s Toast Tuesday by posting a toast related recipe! This recipe if from one of my favorite blogs: Eating Bird Food! Brittany has some really fantastic healthy recipes and she is basically a chia genius. She is super creative with her recipes & ingredients and gives the term “bird food” a whole need meaning!
Brittany’s Easy Chia Seed Jam used strawberries, but since I am allergic to berries (with the exception of raspberries), I decided to go for cherries. It can be really tricky to find yummy jams and jellies other than orange marmalade and grape, so once I saw Brittany’s super simple recipe I was pumped to make my own! You will not believe how easy this recipe is. Only three steps stand between you and some fresh homemade jam! It is so delish, you could actually enjoy this jam as a vegan Jello-O snack which counts as 1 serving of fruit, and one serving of plant based fat!
Cherry Chia Jam
Makes about 1 cup of jam
1 cup black cherries (I used frozen pitted)
1 Tbsp chia seeds
1 Tbsp water
Defrost the cherries under warm water until thawed and remove pits if necessary. Place the cherries and 1 Tbsp of water in a blender and pulse until cherries are mashed, but not completely pureéd. Transfer the mashed cherries to a jar and stir in the chia seeds. Refrigerate for about 60 minutes until chia seeds expand and turn the content into a thick jam.
Lauren
July 17, 2012 at 10:02 am (12 years ago)How easy! Could I use strawberries?
Lauren
July 17, 2012 at 10:03 am (12 years ago)Oops.. I see the link in the post now.
Catherine
July 17, 2012 at 10:14 am (12 years ago)Haha glad you saw the link! You could use 1 cup of any berry or fruit! xo
Anne
July 17, 2012 at 10:15 am (12 years ago)So glad to see you citing your sources the last two posts. Refreshing.
Catherine
July 17, 2012 at 10:26 am (12 years ago)Of course! xo
Mila
July 17, 2012 at 10:19 am (12 years ago)This sounds absolutely delicious (and simple). Going to the store to get my frozen berries! Thank you!
Catherine
July 17, 2012 at 10:27 am (12 years ago)It’s so simple! You could use fresh berries as well, whatever is easier for you 🙂
Stacie
July 17, 2012 at 10:19 am (12 years ago)How long can this be stored? Or is the recipe so good the jar is empty before it is an issue. 🙂
Catherine
July 17, 2012 at 10:29 am (12 years ago)Hi Stacie! I ended up finished the entire jar the next day with a different recipe haha I would imagine it could last about 5 days in the fridge? Very good question!
Kerry
July 17, 2012 at 10:27 am (12 years ago)Excellent! I have frozen blueberries 🙂 and empty jars x
Catherine
July 17, 2012 at 10:31 am (12 years ago)Yayyy I cannot wait to hear how it turns out! If your blueberries are a bit tart, you could add a small amount of stevia or natural sweetener to sweeten it up xo
vicki
July 17, 2012 at 10:28 am (12 years ago)Very cool! Can’t wait to try it!
Catherine
July 17, 2012 at 10:30 am (12 years ago)You will love it! xo
Stephanie
July 17, 2012 at 11:36 am (12 years ago)Fiiiiiiirst of all I want u to know I found u on Pinterest and have since been kinda obsessed with this blog. You’re a great inspiration and I love your recipes because they’re easy and don’t have a l
Stephanie
July 17, 2012 at 11:38 am (12 years ago)Oops sorry! *a lot of ingredients! Anyways I will be trying this with blueberries! Thanks again for the motivation you provide through your blog. Oh and I’m trying to go vegetarian. *crossing fingers and chanting bacon is bad bacon is bad bacon is bad* lol!
Catherine
July 17, 2012 at 12:20 pm (12 years ago)Aww thank you! You can do it! Once you start seeing and feeling results from a veggie based diet, you will be so motivated to continue! xo
Jacqualyn B.
July 17, 2012 at 12:02 pm (12 years ago)Genious! I am making this today. So excited I haven’t eaten jam for a year since I cut out added sugar.
Catherine
July 17, 2012 at 12:20 pm (12 years ago)Yayy! I am so excited for you to have jam again! hahaha
Jessy
July 17, 2012 at 12:38 pm (12 years ago)Looks great! How long does it keep, though? I imagine not very long, since it’s sugarfree.
Catherine
July 17, 2012 at 2:14 pm (12 years ago)Hi Jessy! This is a great question! I ended up using the rest of my Jam in a different recipe the next day, but I would imagine it could last a few days in the refrigerator! If you are worries about not using the entire batch in time, you could cut the recipe in half by using 1/2 cup cherries, 1/2 Tbsp water, and 1/2 Tbsp chia seeds! xo
Bridget
July 17, 2012 at 3:57 pm (12 years ago)Mmmm-looks berry yummy. I first started using chia seeds after reading about them in your overnight oatmeal. I have been adding them to my smoothies too just for the health benefits. Can’t wait to try this – maybe with some dates 🙂
Catherine
July 17, 2012 at 4:40 pm (12 years ago)Aren’t Chia Seeds fun?! You will love this recipe! I love how jelly they get 🙂
Valentina
July 17, 2012 at 6:51 pm (12 years ago)Can’t wait to try it.
Isabel
July 17, 2012 at 7:59 pm (12 years ago)I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to stumble across this blog – I’m on a constant mission to balance my mainly vegetarian diet and love of fitness with my young professional life style. I travel full time for work and would LOVE to see a post on maintaining a healthy and balanced life style on the road.
Catherine
July 17, 2012 at 8:51 pm (12 years ago)Aww thank you so much Isabel, I’m so happy you four my blog! Check back for more fun veggie recipes soon! xo
Melody
July 17, 2012 at 8:06 pm (12 years ago)How AWESOME is chia. I never would have guessed that there was a little seed that could make anything a pudding or jello! <3
Catherine
July 17, 2012 at 8:50 pm (12 years ago)I know! Chia seeds are so fun! xo
Brittany @ eatingbirdfood
July 18, 2012 at 3:35 am (12 years ago)So glad you made this recipe and liked it. I’m in love with little chia seeds. They are nutritional powerhouses.
Thanks for the link love. 🙂
Catherine
July 18, 2012 at 9:22 am (12 years ago)I love all of your recipes and cannot wait to make more! You have the best Chia Seed ideas 🙂
elise
July 18, 2012 at 4:25 am (12 years ago)I love dates with spoonfulls of peanut butter!
Larissa
July 18, 2012 at 7:06 am (12 years ago)I can’t wait to try this! It looks so easy and yummy!
Catherine
July 18, 2012 at 9:23 am (12 years ago)Yes, you definitely have to give it a try! xo
Mandi pandi
July 18, 2012 at 7:39 am (12 years ago)Can you make a big batch of these and freeze them? Do u think it would keep well? I’ve been trying to find healthier version of freezer jam! Thanks!
Catherine
July 18, 2012 at 9:24 am (12 years ago)Hi Mandi! I have not tried freezing the jam, but let me know if you give it a try! xo
Tamara S
June 12, 2013 at 1:35 pm (12 years ago)Mandi – Did this jam recipe freeze well?
Kandace
July 18, 2012 at 8:50 am (12 years ago)What is the texture like? It looks like raspberry jam would, with seeds. Does the chia soften?
Catherine
July 18, 2012 at 9:25 am (12 years ago)Hi Kandace! This is a great question, chia seeds are much softer and gel like once they have expanded in liquid! Almost like a tapioca/rice pudding kind of texture! xo
Heather
July 18, 2012 at 11:08 am (12 years ago)Love this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing it. Can’t wait to try it with other fruits. I will never buy store-bought again!
Catherine
July 18, 2012 at 2:00 pm (12 years ago)Haha I cannot wait for you to try it either! xo
Marina
July 18, 2012 at 11:36 am (12 years ago)Hey there, I think you’re amazing, I’ve a few pounds that I can’t lose, but I’m a pretty ansious person, I eat all day and never feel full. I’m from Argentina so some recipes you post on your blog I can’t do them because I don’t have the ingredients.
Please, I just wanna be thin and be able to put myself on a bikini without feeling shame.
If you have some advice, I let mi email so you can get back to me!
Thanks and good luck!
Marina.
Nirey
July 19, 2012 at 4:00 pm (12 years ago)Amazing! Super easy & really tasty. I made this today and used it in my version of the Costco cranberry cream cheese pinwheels. I used whole wheat flatbread, greek yogurt, the cherry jam, spinach, and cheese. Delish!
Catherine
July 19, 2012 at 5:33 pm (12 years ago)Nirey your pinwheels sound amazing! So glad you love the jam recipe 🙂 xo
Rachael
July 21, 2012 at 11:16 am (12 years ago)This looks like such a wonderful idea! I always thought there was something that should be down with these chia sides, other than just throwing them into meals. Very creative idea!
Catherine
July 21, 2012 at 4:00 pm (12 years ago)Thank you! Chia seeds are awesome! xo
Danielle
July 24, 2012 at 6:33 pm (12 years ago)I made this jam and i LOVE it!
My brother and his friend saw it in the fridge yesterday and made fun of me for about an hour for eating “weird things” as they consumed 4 processed chicken courdon bleus each, haha.
I tried to make him try it and when he finally did he spat it out and goes.. “who makes jam without sugar!”
I guess healthy is an acquired taste today for some people!
Catherine
July 24, 2012 at 7:23 pm (12 years ago)Hahaha love the story omg that’s hilarious! Isn’t it amazing how much your taste buds change when you eat healthy foods? I start craving raw veggies and fruit instead of candy (my weakness haha)! So glad you loved the jam! If your brother wants to give it another try you can add some natural sweetener like Stevia! xo
Brandi
July 27, 2012 at 8:32 am (12 years ago)mmmm…this turned out nummy! I used fresh cherries since I had some on hand. I have a bit of a sweet tooth so I added a tablespoon of agave. Nummers
Catherine
July 27, 2012 at 11:29 am (12 years ago)Yummm! I have a huge sweet tooth too 🙂
Briana
July 28, 2012 at 3:50 pm (12 years ago)I absolutely love this blog! 😀
I really want to try and make this but I don’t know where to buy chia seeds. Where did you get yours?
Catherine
July 29, 2012 at 6:40 pm (12 years ago)Thank you so much Briana! I have bought chia seeds from a few different stores such as Whole Foods, Bristol Farms, Pavillions, local health food stores, and just saw them at Trader Joe’s last week! They are popping up everywhere, but sometimes they are placed in strange aisles in the grocery store, so make sure to ask a staff member for help locating them! xo
Janessa
August 2, 2012 at 10:25 pm (12 years ago)Mmm! I love this stuff! I eat it often as an evening snack, like dessert but better! I tried it with raspberries and I thought it was alright but my two sisters said it was not sweet enough. I tried with strawberries and loooved it. I am considering trying it with peaches.
Catherine
August 2, 2012 at 10:35 pm (12 years ago)Cherry is my current favorite, but I want to make a batch with mangos! Let me know if you make some Peach Chia Jam! xo
Misty
January 22, 2013 at 9:00 am (12 years ago)This is so ingenious, healthful & simple. My 6 year old has made this 3 times since Friday. He likes with mixed berries & wants to try pineapple next. I saw post on FB this am asking how ppl at their chia so I passed this link along. <3
Kerlin
February 11, 2013 at 10:47 am (12 years ago)I did it with apples..:) delicious:)