Have you heard of Chia Seeds? I discovered these nutritional gems on the weekend. Chia seed provides calcium and protein. The seeds are also rich in boron, which helps the body assimilate and use calcium. These nutrients support brain function. When inside your body, the seeds help you stay hydrated longer, and retain electrolytes in your bodily fluids. The shells are easily broken down, even when swallowed whole. This is an improvement over flax seed, which have to be ground up to be digested properly. The seeds can be used to replace less-healthy fat in just about any recipe. Yay!I made Orange and Chia Seed Loaf, which I adapted from the Donna Hay recipe in this book
Orange and Chia Seed Loaf
1 cup Chia Seeds, plus more to sprinkle on top of loaf
3/4 cup milk
200g butter, softened
1 tbsp grated orange rind
3/4 cup castor sugar
3 eggs
2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 tspns baking powder
1/2 cup finely sliced mandarin- I used fruit from our tree!
Preheat the oven to 160C.
Place the chia seeds and milk in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
Place the butter, orange rind and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy.
Gradually add the eggs and beat well. Sift the flour and baking powder over the butter mixture and add the orange juice and chia seed and milk mixture.
Sprinkle chia seeds over the top- I sprinkled until the entire top of the loaf was covered with seeds. This created a nice crust on top.
Stir to combine and spoon into a loaf tin lined with baking paper.
Bake for 55-60 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
And in other news, I was finally able to catch my children for a photoshoot in their Squidygums hoodies! Thanks again Kristin!
