CHERRY ROSE CHIA PUDDING

1-2 servings, 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Chia pudding

• 1/4 cup chia seed, ground

• 1 - 1 1/4 cup almond milk (or any plant-based milk)

• 1/4 tsp cardamom, freshly ground

• 1-2 tsp rosewater (adjust to taste - I used 1 1/2 tsp)

• 1 tsp maple syrup

• Pinch of salt

Stewed cherries

• 1-1 1/2 cups cherries, chopped, pits removed

• 2-3 tbsp water

• 1/4 tsp cardamom, freshly ground

• 1-2 tsp pure organic cane sugar (or coconut sugar, adjust to taste)

• Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Soak the chia - preferably the night before, add all the ingredients for the chia pudding to a container, whisk together, and allow to soak in the fridge overnight. Allow the pudding to come to room temperature or slightly warm before eating. If you are making this the morning of, no worries, just allow the chia pudding mixture to soak while you assemble the other ingredients.

2. Make the stewed cherries - add all the ingredients for the stewed cherries to a small pot over medium-low heat. Allow the cherries to stew until soft and most of the water has been removed (about 5 minutes).

3. Assemble - Top the chia pudding with the stewed cherries. Option to top with chopped almonds. Enjoy!

#vata #pitta #spring #summer #breakfast

Notes

• Chia! Chia needs to be soaked. If it is not soaked and eaten raw (example - many granola bars do this), it will pull water from the colon and lead to gas, bloating & constipation. Thus, ideally, soak the chia seeds the night before. If not soaked the night before, just grind them up and soak for 10-20 minutes while you assemble the rest of the ingredients. PS: grinding them also enhances absorption, so, in general, I grind them.

• Why not eat it cold? Because we try not to ruin digestion in Ayurveda :). Cold foods, especially first thing in the morning, weaken digestion, which leads to poor gut health, toxins, and inflammation. If we think of digestion as a fire, why would we want something cold on the fire? We want to stoke the fire, not put it out. Thus, allow it to come to room temperature, very mildly chilled, or slightly warmed, just not super cold.

• Cherries! - only in season for a limited time! Mid may - mid June. They are warming, calming (a natural source of melatonin), and digestive (natural laxative). Essentially, this whole chia pudding could be beneficial to someone with both constipation & anxiety!