Skip-the-Stove Chia Fruit Jam

Whole Grain English Muffin with Almond Butter and
Skip-the-Stove Chia Fruit Jam makes a great snack.

Makes approximately 1 cup

Recipe from Food52

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

We are ever trying to eat more healthfully by cutting out processed foods as much as possible.  Who knew that you could make a terrific jam using no processed sugar?  And, it can be done without heating up the house with the stove. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I made this.  I was pleasantly surprised that I could really taste the fruit much more than with sugar-laden jam.

1 cup fruit (any kind of berries or chopped stone-fruit like peaches, plums, etc.)

4 teaspoons (or more) chia seeds*

1 Tablespoon real maple syrup, local honey, agave syrup or sorghum (Add or subtract to taste.)

2 teaspoons citrus juice (lemon, lime, or grapefruit juice)

1 pinch Kosher salt or sea salt (This will make the fruit taste fruitier.)

Place all the ingredients in a bowl.  Mix it all together well.  Chill for at least half-hour or until thickened.  (After ½-hour, check the jam. If your fruit is juicy and you like your jam thick, add more chia seeds.  If you want your jam a bit looser, add more fruit.) When you are satisfied with the thickness of the jam, place it in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate.  This jam will keep for several days.  You can also freeze the jam to serve later in the winter.

Tips: 

If the berries are large, you can use a chopper to chop them up into smaller bits.  This will help with spreading the jam on your toast.

Reviewers have said they’ve made this jam with frozen fruit, however, I haven’t tried it with frozen fruit yet. mapel

This jam can be frozen and then thawed in the fridge overnight so that they could have summer fruit jam in the winter months.

**Chia Seed Information:  Chia is an edible seed that comes from a desert plant.  Chia seeds are a concentrated food containing healthy omega-3 fatty acids, carbohydrates, protein, fiber, antioxidants, and calcium.  Chia seeds are an unprocessed, whole-grain food that can be absorbed by the body.  One ounce (about 2 Tablespoons) contains 139 calories, 4 grams of protein, 9 grams fat, 12 rams carbohydrates, and 11 grams of fiber, plus vitamins and minerals.   

 

Healthful Breakfast Banana Split

Husband-Tested Recipe from Alice Wootton

Makes 2

Get a big healthy dose of good-for-you fruit, fiber, and protein with this fun breakfast. Serve along with a piece of whole-grain toast and a cup of hot tea if you like.

½ cup plain Greek yogurt

1 ripe banana, split down the middle lengthwise, then again crosswise

4 strawberries, topped and chopped into small pieces

¼ cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

¼ cup pineapple chunks (fresh or canned in own juice)

¼ cup Coconut-Buckwheat Granola or your favorite granola

Optional topping:  Homemade Berry Sauce or local honey

The night before you plan to serve, place the Greek yogurt into a sieve that has been lined with a coffee filter.  Place the sieve over a bowl to catch the whey (the liquid) and store in the fridge overnight.  The next morning the bowl will have quite a bit of whey in it that you can discard or use for another purpose. The yogurt will be quite thick, like ice cream J 

Place two pieces of banana on each plate.  Using an ice cream scoop, dip out the thickened yogurt onto each banana half.  Place some of each fruit on top of the yogurt/banana.  Sprinkle with the Coconut-Buckwheat Granola. Drizzle with the Homemade Berry Sauce or local honey, if desired and enjoy.

Chicken with Sauteed Pears and Rosemary Sauce

Recipe from Bon Appetit's RSVP section and Ruby's, Bainbridge Island WA
Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen
Serves 4

My singing buddy, Bill, gave us some pears from his pear tree. I'm sure he thinks I'll just eat them raw, but I have big plans for them. Pear season has begun. Local pears are also in at Lost River Market & Deli as well as the Orange County HomeGrown Farmers Market. I will be making this fabulous chicken dish with them. The sauce is really, really, really good and the pears go nicely with the chicken. The sauce is a bit thin, but you can thicken it a bit by adding a slurry of flour and water or cornstarch and water, if you wish. The sauce and the pears can be made in advance. Be sure to make mashed potatoes or with Easy Tasty Couscous Dish (recipe on this blog) with this dish to soak up all the sauce.

3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups apple juice
1/2 cup red wine
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
Pinch of dried crushed red pepper
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 Bosc pear, quartered, cored, thinly sliced
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup Marsala

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add apple juice, red wine, vinegar, rosemary, thym and crushed red pepper; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until mixture is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Strain mixture into small saucepan; discard solids. Add cream a simmer until reduced to sauce consistency, about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile heat 2 teaspoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium heat.
Add pear slices; sauté until tender and golden brown, about 8 minutes. (Sauce and pears can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Cover seperately and refrigerate. Rewarm pears over medium-low heat before serving.)

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and sauté until cooked through and golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Add Marsala and bring to boil.

Stir in reserved sauce, turning chicken once to coat. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes longer.
Divide chicken among 4 plates.
Spoons some sauce around chicken on each plate. Garnish with pear slices.

Peach Ice Cream

Makes 1 quart

The local peaches are in so it's time to celebrate this delectable fruit and make ice cream!
You can get local peaches grown on Carl & Teri's French Lick farm at Lost River Market & Deli. This recipe is tried, true and perfectly wonderful. When I first made this years ago, I thought it strange that you don't peel the peaches, but leaving the skin on really punches up the peach flavor in the ice cream. It's really easy to make to with no cooking involved, so the kids can help!

3-4 large ripe peaches, sliced but not peeled
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)
1. Combine peaches, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup sugar in a nonreactive bowl. Let sit for 2 hours, covered. Stir occasionally.
2. Lightly mash peaches with potato masher. Stir in milk and vanilla; let stand for 1/2 hour.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat egg and egg yolk at high speed until light in color. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, beating until incorporated. Lower speed and add cream, then peach mixture; mix to blend. Pour into ice-cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. (If using a hand-cranked ice-cream maker, first chill shell of the machine for 24 hours in the freezer.) Serve in goblets and garnish with fresh mint sprigs.