Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Liz of  Books N' Cooks   is hosting an event that was going to be "back-to-school," but since so many kids aren't going back to school, as we continue to battle the coronavirus pandemic, she settled on lunch inspiration. This is something that I make at least twice a week as a healthy, easy, and portable snack. Warrior pudding is easy to make. The proportion is 1/4 cup chia to every 1 cup of liquid; you can get creative from there. Why is it called 'warrior pudding'? Because, as my bag of organic whole chia seeds - tagline "Aztec Superfood" - explains: "The chia seed was eaten by Aztec for strength and was a main staple food along with corn and beans." Ingredients serves 3 Chia Pudding 1/2 cup chia seeds 2 cups milk (I used an organic oat milk) 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 Tablespoon maple syrup Also needed: lidded mason jar that holds at least 2 cups, 3 lidded mason jars for transport For Serving cocon...

Quatorze Juillet! July 14th is often thought of as France's Independence Day. More accurately, though, it's French National Day — called La Fête Nationale in French — and commemorates the day, in 1789, when crowds stormed the Bastille, a fortress used as a prison in Paris. The event marks the beginning of the French Revolution.  So, to the mantra of  Liberté ,  Egalité ,  Fraternité! reverberating in my head, I decided to make a red, white, and blue version of the warrior puddings we've been enjoying this week. These are fairly easy to make and feel like a healthy dessert option. Warrior pudding is easy to make. The proportion is 1/4 cup chia to every 1 cup of liquid; you can get creative from there. Why is it called 'warrior pudding'? Because, as my bag of organic whole chia seeds - tagline "Aztec Superfood" - explains: "The chia seed was eaten by Aztec for strength and was a main staple food along with corn and beans." ...

Today, Ellen of Family Around the Table asked the Festive Foodies to share some red, white, and blue recipes ahead of Independence Day. I thought I'd try my hand at a red, white, and blue chia pudding...without the food coloring, of course.  So I considered what I could use that would make the liquids red and blue. Funny note, when I served these, my husband joked, "What's with the brown, white, and grey chia?" But, once he tasted it, he was a fan. First, here's what the rest of the crew is sharing... American Pride Cookies by Jolene's Recipe Journal Cherry Berry Buckle Cake by Cookaholic Wife Firecracker Marshmallow Pops by Family Around the Table Firecracker Roll by A Day in the Life on the Farm Patriotic Pudding Firecrackers by Daily Dish Recipes Patriotic Red, White, Blue Cupcakes by Girl Abroad Patriotic S'mores Brownies by Amy's Cooking Adventures Red White and Blue Burger Bites by Cindy's Recipes and Writings ...

This week Cynthia of Feeding Big asked us share some back-to-school recipes. Yes, back-to-school. It's hard to believe that summer vacation is almost over. Sad, but true. Grateful for our annual summer camping trip. We're ten years in to a ten-day trek around Northern California. This year, we went down the Eastern Sierras, camping in Lassen National Forest and Inyo National Forest. So darn picturesque. Jake and I love creating these memories for our boys. It makes their eight-week summers seem a little less short! Manns at Little Virginia Lake Manns on the trail to Crystal Lake Manns above Marsh Lake Okay, back to the reason for this post...some great lunch box ideas from my blogging friends.   Creamy Cantaloupe Pops by Family Around the Table   Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips by Caroline's Cooking   S'More Thumbprint Cookies by A Day In The Life On The Farm   Bean and Bacon Soup by Palatable Pastime Warrior P...

My chia experimentation continues. And this version is outstanding!  Five ingredients and a little bit of patience - because the longer it sits, the better - is all it needs. I'd definitely make and eat this over tapioca any day! Ingredients 6 T chia seeds 2 C coconut milk (I used a vanilla-coconut milk from Trader Joe's) 1 T blue agave 1 T dried coconut flakes 1 T sliced almonds Procedure Pour the coconut milk and blue agave into a large jar. Add in the chia seeds, coconut flakes, and sliced almonds. Cover with a lid and shake to combine. Let sit in the refrigerator - to chill and thicken - overnight.

I've used chia seeds before - to make Raw Warrior Pudding , Lemonade with Chia , and I've even used them as a binding agent in Russian Meatballs - but I knew that I could make many more creative chia puddings. I started tonight. Ingredients 6 T chia seeds 1 C fresh pomegranate juice 1 C water 1 T honey (I used a wildflower honey from Kimes Apiary in Watsonville) dried coconut, for garnish sliced almonds, for garnish Procedure Pour the water, juice, and honey into a large jar. Add in the chia seeds. Cover with a lid and shake to combine. Let sit in the refrigerator - to chill and thicken - for at least an hour. To serve, spoon into glasses and garnish with coconut and almonds.

I wanted to use up the last of my olallies in a breakfast smoothie this morning. Set this in a container the night before and it's ready first thing in the morning 3/4 C chia seeds 4 C milk 4 T honey 3/4 C olallieberries (feel free to substitute for whatever berries you have on-hand) + some for garnishing Place the milk and honey in a large mixing bowl and whisk until the honey is dissolved - as much as possible. Stir in the chia seeds. Stir for at least a minute or two so that the seeds don't clump together too much. Stir in the berries; crush some against the side of the bowl to release their juice. Transfer to a container that you can seal. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning, stir the smoothie. Add more honey if you need it a little bit sweeter. Garnish with more berrries. Serve cold.