Every street in my area, including the one right in front of our building, is lined by a row of trees. They’re pretty big if you’re standing right under them, but still so small and fragile compared to the big trees in the park. And they’re especially small when viewed from our apartment which is on the fourth floor.
This is the time of year when I wish I lived closer to the ground, maybe on the first floor, where I could see these trees directly, they’d be my view from the living room or kitchen. Because, you see, they’re full of buds and tiny blossoms right now! I often catch myself just staring at them as I walk on the sidewalk, sometimes I even take a few seconds to admire the beauty before I get lost inside the building.
The nature is waking up and it’s a beautiful sight to see. The weather still isn’t very spring-like on most days when the wind is cold and strong, but I think it’s very lovely most of the time. I just wished it stayed like this for a while, I’m already dreading the summer heat. Really not looking forward to that.
I’ve been struggling a bit with the longer days, which are awesome, but for some reason I always think it’s “only 4 o’clock” when in reality it’s already over 6PM. Where do the days go??
I am very excited for all the spring produce, the greens, the fruit. I’m currently very much on a tropical kick, where my days are mostly filled with bananas, pineapple, coconut and citrus. Of course apples and pears always find their place in my kitchen. However, I think this excitement over spring has really pushed me towards fruit that has fresh and summery feel to it.
And banana coconut chia pudding is perfect for this. I have to say it took me a long time before I gave chia pudding a chance. To me chia seeds were always that healthy thing you add to a smoothie, but they’re much more than that.
I’ve been reading a lot about Omega 3 fatty acids and chia seeds are a great plant source of these! If I ever needed an extremely good reason to have some chia pudding, then that would be it. And while it’s not bursting with flavor on its own, it’s really tasty when paired with the right toppings.
I make the pudding with coconut milk and water, which make the pudding very creamy. The delicate coconut flavor they add is really amazing and I just love it. Instead of adding sweeteners to the pudding, I prefer to mash a banana and stir it in. A well ripened banana is not only very sweet, but has a rum-like aroma, which I think works great with the rest of the fruit.
The banana coconut chia pudding is topped with dark chocolate, just a tiny amount, some macadamia nuts and pineapple preserves. These are sweet and syrupy, but just the right fit for the chia pudding which has a very mild flavor. You can of course use fresh pineapple instead.
Recipe
Banana coconut chia pudding
Ingredients
- 1 medium banana mashed
- 400 ml 1 2/3 cups coconut milk
- 160-240 ml 2/3 - 1 cup coconut or regular water
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup chia seeds
- For serving: macadamia nuts chopped bittersweet chocolate, pineapple preserves
Instructions
- In a medium bowl stir together the banana, coconut milk, 2/3 cup water and salt. Whisk in chia seeds, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 3 hours or even overnight.
- Take out of the fridge and stir pudding with a spoon, if it's too thick for your liking add more water. Spoon chia pudding into glasses / bowls / jars, top with a few chopped macadamia nuts, some chocolate and pineapple preserves. Serve.