Munchkin Pumpkin Chia Pudding
Halloween is only a week away guys! ONE WEEK! Can you tell I'm excited? If you haven't gathered from my other blog posts I have basically been Halloween obsessed as soon as Summer came to an end. It is my favourite time of year, I fricking love anything spooky and an opportunity to dress up. I'm planning a party this year with my sister and I have been avidly decoration shopping, our kitchen is being taken over by pumpkins, all ready for carving. What are you up to? I would so love to hear what people are planning, or what they are dressing up as, or what they're eating, so let me know! I'm hoping to squeeze in at least one more Halloween recipe before the big day. But for now to this Halloween themed recipe, which stars the most Halloweeny of vegetables, the pumpkin. Munchkin pumpkin is not only a key ingredient but also forms the bowl, so no washing up! Can we all just appreciate how cute munchkin pumpkins are too? Awwmyygod!
Pumpkin and spice go together like Halloween and me! Match made in heaven, for this recipe I used nutmeg, ginger and sweet cinnamon known as cassia. If you can't find cassia replace with cinnamon no biggie.
Chia is a member of the mint family that grows abundantly in southern Mexico. The seeds have been well known for their nutritional benefits since the Mayans and Aztecs, being a main components of their diets (If anyone is interested, this isn't a guess, yes you can tell what was eaten in the past through archaeology!). These tiny seeds are packed full of omega 3 fatty acids, and antioxidants. They contain all 9 essential amino acids making them a complete protein. They also contain fibre and a variety of vitamins and minerals.
If you haven't had chia pudding before it works because when soaked in liquid chia seeds swell and form a gel like texture. I know gel probably doesn't sound super appealing, I've also heard it likened to frogspawn which is even worse, but it's actually really tasty! Aha bet you don't believe me now, think of it like an angel delight with seeds in, no wait still not doing it justice. You know what you'll just have to try it, luckily you're in the right place, as the recipe for a sweet spicy Halloween one is just below!
Ingredients
2 Munchkin Pumpkins
1/2 cups of almond milk
2 tablespoons of chia seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cassia (or cinnamon)
3 teaspoons of maple syrup (or another sweetener)
Pinch of salt
Method
1) Cut open one of the pumpkins at the top to make a lid. Remove the seeds and innards. (You can keep the seeds and roast to use on top of salads, soups or as a snack). Place the pumpkin with it's lid on a tray in the oven for 30 minutes at 200'c.
2) Meanwhile remove the skin and seeds from the other pumpkin, dice and then boil for 15 minutes until soft.
3) Once soft place the boiled pumpkin in a blender, with the almond milk, spices, maple syrup and salt and blend until smooth.
4) Mix the blended mixture with the chia seeds.
5) Remove the pumpkin from the oven and fill with the chia seed pudding. Place the lid on top and put in the fridge to set for at least an hour (I left mine overnight). Once set enjoy my witches!