Raw Strawberry Chia Jam
Those raw vegans looking for a seasonal sweet jam to fill the center of dehydrated raw cookies; flavor or top some nice crème or other dessert; or just serve on dehydrated Essene bread, will love this beautiful raw strawberry jam made from fresh strawberries and chia seeds. The recipe also calls for dates as a sweetener and fresh lemon juice to provide an extra zing, which you can adjust the amounts of to suit your particular taste!
INGREDIENTS
2 cups chopped strawberries, tops removed
1tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp date syrup (dates blended in water)
2 tbsp chia seeds. Just add more if a thicker jam is desired.
INSTRUCTIONS
(1) Prepare the strawberries by chopping them and removing tops.
(2) Mash the berries with a fork or potato masher until pulpy, leaving it as smooth or as lumpy as you like. You can also lightly process them in a food processor.
(3) Stir in the lemon juice and date syrup by tasting and adding more to taste.
(4) Stir in the chia seeds.
(5) Let the jam stand for five minutes until thickened. This won't quite be as firm as store bought jam, but it will noticeably thicken due to the chia seeds. Just add more chia seeds if you want a thicker consistency,
(6) If you would prefer not to have visible chia seeds in your finished raw jam, just puree the jam in a blender or with a mixing wand. If you want to keep a rather chunky texture, you can blend only a portion of the jam with the chia seeds, and then stir it back in with the rest of the jam.
(7) Transfer jam to a storage jar or container.
(8) Store in the refrigerator for several days.
Note: The jam will thicken further and become more set once completely chilled. The jam can also be frozen for several months, and you would need to thaw it out in the fridge before using. Those looking to stay fully raw might wish to avoid freezing foods since it can reduce enzyme activity.
Enjoy! :)
For more delightful raw vegan recipes like this one, please check out Raw From The Garden's website at www.RawFromTheGarden.com today! Update: Raw From The Garden's featured living food chef and Raw Vegan Recipe Book author Alice Dee will be teaching a series of delicious weekend retreat workshops this year on using the "Raw Vegan Cuisine for Healing and Weight Loss" at beautiful Spirit Lake Hermitage in Northern California. Click here for more details and the event dates.
