Raspberry Chocolate Chip Chia Pudding (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Guys, I'm excited. I have so much to tell you. 

First things first. I attended my very first hot yoga class last night. It was power yoga and it was sweaty and it was awesome! I must say I have never attended a yoga class that played Blister in the Sun before so that was new and different. I was on a high for a good long while afterwards. In fact, I was so excited that I enrolled in a free online course through Stanford University's School of Medicine about child nutrition. I think it'll be a great supplement to the courses I'm already taking.

Then, on my way home from work this afternoon I stopped into Nourish to grab a smoothie (my mantra has been "smoothies not bagels" this week, yeah bagels are free, but what's it really going to cost me, ya know?) and I happened to run into the Vegan/ Vegetarians of Colorado Springs Meet Up group. How cool is that? The two women who organize it gave me their business cards. They're having a vegan cheese and wine tasting on Saturday, I may just have to go check it out!

Plus this weekend I'm hopefully going to check out a scooter Molly's co-worker is selling. And I helped one of my co-worker's land an awesome new cottage. Life is good, guys, life is good.

Now before you run away thinking I lured you here under the false pretense of a tasty looking recipe just so I could babble on about my life, let me tell you about this delicious Raspberry Chocolate Chip Chia Pudding. Do you like like Raspberry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream? Do you like Chia Pudding? Do you like tasty food that is also loaded with vitamins and minerals? Than this is a recipe for you! It makes a wonderful dessert or it'd be totally cool if you wanted to eat it for breakfast (I did!).

Here's what you do:

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Chia Pudding

Adapted from this recipe.

• 1 Cup Almond Milk (Coconut or Soy works, too)
• 3 Tablespoons Chia Seeds
• 1/2 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/4-1/3 Cup Raspberries (Fresh or Frozen works)
• 1/8 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips
• Sweeten to Taste (Use Agave, Pure Maple Syrup or Honey for non-vegans)

Makes 1-2 Servings.

In a blender or food processor, blend the chia seeds and almond milk until a uniform consistency is formed. Add the rest of the ingredients until thoroughly mixed in (feel free to just pulse it a few times if you'd like to have some raspberry and chocolate chunks). Pour or spoon out into a dish and place in the refrigerator to set for a couple hours or overnight. Once it's set, either eat it plain or garnish with more chocolate chips and unsweetened shredded coconut. Enjoy each tasty spoonful without an ounce of guilt!

Have you ever been to a hot yoga class?

What did you think?

Are you a part of a Meet Up group?

How do you like it?

Vanilla Bean Scones with Raspberry Chia Jam (Vegan, Gluten Free)

I've been experimenting with a cookie recipe for the last couple days and the batch yesterday came out with a scone-like texture. Eureka! I've been wanting to create a good vegan, gluten-free scone recipe and lo and behold I accidentally stumbled upon it. Don't you love it when that happens?  

Simple vanilla bean scones sounded like the perfect breakfast this morning. I paired it with a raspberry chia jam I had made last night for a thumbprint cookie recipe I'm working on and together it was a perfect sweet and tangy combination.

As I mentioned in this post I recently took advantage of an awesome sale that Beanilla is having and have been going vanilla bean crazy! (Just ask anyone who has stopped by our house in the last few days and immediately upon entering were intoxicated by vanilla fumes). I love vanilla, it's simple and comforting and in my opinion enjoys the spotlight not nearly enough. Must be something I inherited from my mother, who by the way will love this post (Happy early Mother's Day, Mom!)

Now onto the recipe, shall we?

Vanilla Bean Scones

Adapted from Minimalist Baker

• 1 1/4 Cup Almond Meal
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon Coconut Flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• Pinch of Salt
• 1/3 Cup Dry Sugar (I used Beet Sugar, but Cane, Date or Palm should work, too)
• 1 Flax Egg (1 Tablespoon Flaxseed mixed with 3 Tablespoons Water)
• 3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil, Melted
• 1 Vanilla Bean, Scraped

Makes 4 scones or 8 mini scones.

In a small dish combine the ground flax seed and water, stir and set aside. In a medium size bowl, combine almond meal, coconut flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, set aside. Whisk the flax egg until it is a smooth consistency and has expanded (about 1 minute), add the coconut oil, whisk again until combined. Add the beans from the vanilla pod and whisk until fully incorporated. Combine the wet and dry ingredients until fully mixed. Cover and refrigerate for a 1/2 hour. In between sheets of wax paper, roll the dough into a circle about 1 inch thick. Slice 4-8 wedges (depending on the desired number of scones). Lay the wedges on a sheet of parchment paper or Silpat and place in a 375 degree oven. Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before consuming.

Raspberry Chia Jam

• Approximately 3 ounces of Raspberries
• 1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds
• Sweeten to Taste

In a food processor combine all ingredients and pulse until a uniform puree is formed. Refrigerate 15 minutes to set. Spoon jam onto the scones and enjoy.

I will definitely be experimenting with more scones in the future.

Are there certain flavors you guys would like to see?

Happy Saturday!