Chia Jam from Oh She Glows

One of the recipes that jumped out at me when I checked out the Oh She Glows cookbook was a Chia Jam.  A jam that doesn't include a ton of sugar and pectin which just makes it slippery and slimy.  Interesting... I'm not a huge jam/jelly fan anyways.  Really, it is just too sweet.  But I bought a big batch of strawberries and at the end of the week they were looking like of sad.  It was the perfect thing to take 3 cups of them and make this jam.  And it was so easy.  SO EASY.  And the results, delicious.  Really, the perfect amount of sweetness.  I just made it again with some leftover blackberries and frozen raspberries.  Can't wait to try it tomorrow on some cold overnight oatmeal!

Magical Blueberry Vanilla Chia Seed Jam

Yield: ~ 1 cup

Ingredients:

• 3 cups fresh blueberries
• 3-4 tbsp pure maple syrup, to taste (or other liquid sweetener)
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. In a medium-sized non-stick pot, bring the blueberries and 3 tbsp of maple syrup to a low boil. Stir frequently, and reduce heat to low-medium to simmer for about 5 minutes. Lightly mash the blueberries with a potato masher or fork, leaving some for texture.

2. Stir in the chia seeds until thoroughly combined and cook the mixture down until it thickens to your desired consistency, or about 15 minutes. Stir frequently so it doesn’t stick to the pot.

3. Once the jam is thick, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Add more maple syrup to taste if desired. Enjoy on toast, English muffins, oatmeal, vegan overnight oats, oat bars, tarts, cookies, banana soft serve, smoothies, and more. The jam should keep for at least a week in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Read more: http://ohsheglows.com/2012/06/26/magical-blueberry-vanilla-chia-seed-jam/#ixzz35cBKpMp0