One of my favourite things to keep in my fridge at the moment is a fresh pot of chia jam. It tastes amazing spread on fresh sourdough toast, layered on rice cakes with some nut butter as a snack or dolloped on top of granola and porridge. I am a big fan of eating fruits and veg when they are in season, so I get extremely excited about this time each year, when strawberry season comes around. In my opinion, there are few things better than seeing vibrant punnets of Strawberries stacked up at the farmshop for the first time each year - it's the little things that make life worth living right? Apart from being incredibly tasty, strawberries are very rich in Vitamin C and Antioxidants, which play a big part in keeping us fighting fit and healthy. So, to celebrate the start of strawberry season, here is a seriously delicious strawberry chia jam recipe that I think you will LOVE!!
This recipe contains far less sugar than regular jam! The chia seeds help it to set and give it a jam-like consistency but are also full of healthy fats and fibre to keep us fuller for longer and balance our sugar levels. Chia seeds can be found pretty easily in most supermarkets and health food stores. So why not treat yourself right this weekend, pick up a fresh local punnet of strawberries and give this recipe a go - you won’t regret it!
INGREDIENTS
2 cups strawberries (rinsed & drained)
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp coconut sugar (or your preferred unrefined sweetener)
Juice of 1/4 lemon
2 tbsp chia seeds
DIRECTIONS
MAKES: 1 SMALL JAR TIME: 10 MINS + COOLING
Put the strawberries, water, lemon juice and sugar into a saucepan. Mash with a potato masher or back of a fork to break the strawberries down a bit and bring to a boil.
Simmer for about 5 mins until the fruit has softened. Add in the Chia Seeds and cook for a further minute or so.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool (it will continue to thicken). Once cool you can taste test and add a little more lemon if you like it more tangy, your chosen unrefined sugar if you like it a bit sweeter or some more chia seeds if you like it thicker.
Put into a jar and keep in the fridge.
