Ooooh, boy, do I have a delicious breakfast recipe for you guys!
My friend and fellow blogger Amie Valpone recently published Eating Clean: The 21-Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation, and Reset Your Body, an incredibly beautiful cookbook filled with all sorts of interesting and delicious anti-inflammatory recipes as well as practical advice to help you live a healthier life. Amie also shares her journey from from chronic illness to health, which, for someone like me who struggles with autoimmunity everyday, is very inspiring.
As you probably remember, I’ve had some success with eating a vegetarian/anti-inflammatory diet, so Amie’s book could not have come at a better time. I’ve already made a number of her recipes and absolutely loved them, including the Creamy Breakfast Chia Pudding below, and I plan to try a whole bunch more in the coming weeks.
CREAMY BREAKFAST CHIA PUDDING
For a grain-free breakfast packed with anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids and protein, you can’t beat chia. This makes an easy, no-cook breakfast for a weekday morning.
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup raw cashews
6 large dates, pitted, soaked in water overnight, and drained
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch sea salt
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS
1 cup fresh berries, chopped pineapple, or sliced bananas
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder or ground cinnamon
Handful Amie’s Grain-Free Granola (page 121) or another granola (pages 118 and 122)
In a small bowl, combine the chia seeds and water; set aside until the mixture forms a gel, about 20 minutes.
Combine the cashews, dates, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and half of the chia gel in a high-speed blender. Puree until smooth. Transfer the pureed mixture to a medium bowl and stir in the remaining chia gel. Serve immediately, topped with one or more of the optional toppings, if desired, or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
SERVES 4
Text excerpted from Eating Clean, © 2016 by Amie Valpone. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.