Peach blueberry chia seed jam

New concept: jam that tastes like the fruit it originally was!

I will now indulge in adverbial musing.

Gustatorily speaking, this jam is superior because it tastes like the fruit it originally was. It has none of that sugar burn that can mask the taste of fresh stone fruits in jams.

Nutritionally speaking, this jam is the tops. The original water content of the fruit is retained (and thus, so is its caloric value). The fruit is not cooked, so vitamins are retained. Chia seeds are nutritional powerhouses.

Economically speaking, I think it's a deal. Chia seeds are on the pricey side, but if you would have used pectin, that cost is gone, and you really don't use that many chia seeds for the jam. Also, it is much faster than other jams, so you have more time. Because you don't cook the peaches down, it makes more per pound of peaches. But then again, you will eat more because it is better than most jams. But then again, if you are eating more of this stuff there is the chance that you will be at the doctor's less. But then again, maybe you will live longer, and that will increase your cost of living. (Clearly I am no economist.)

Visually speaking, you have to overcome the fact that the chia seeds look like bugs. Our first batch had only peaches, and the bugs were especially noticeable. Owl threw in blueberries in the second batch, and that helped immensely. In the end, we went with it and called it "Bug Jam." The owl-cats smiled and ate it.

Historically speaking, this is a rare treat. Michael Pollan says that you shouldn't eat anything your grandmother would not have recognized as food. Well, sorry, Mr. Pollan, but I'm guessing Grandma would have tossed out "Bug Jam." What's more, Grandma had to put a whole lot of sugar in her jam as an anti-bacterial agent. So that's one food rule that should sometimes get tossed.

Blogatorially speaking, we are not original. Everyone out there has a recipe for this stuff (for good reason). Lemon juice may be added to help retain color or for brightness. Some people use fewer chia seeds.

Peach Blueberry Chia Seed Jam (a.k.a. Bug Jam)
A flexible recipe, depending on how much you have. See step 2 for guidelines on amounts.

Peaches
Blueberries (frozen fine)
Chia seeds
Sweetener (maple syrup, agave syrup, honey, sugar--or stevia if you go for that sort of thing, but add less)

0. Wash fruit. Peel peaches (or not--I'm guessing it would be fine with peels if you trust your peaches)
1. Blend up peaches and blueberries.
2. For every 1 cup of blended fruit, add

• 1 tablespoon chia seeds*
• up to 1 tablespoon of sweetener of choice, to taste

3. Refrigerate for an hour to let it thicken.
4. Slather on toast. Eat. Rave. Repeat.
5. Storing: Everything I've seen says this will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator. I am going to freeze some and see how it goes. I don't want to can it, but some have.

*CHIA SEED UPDATE 9/20/13: I made another batch with very ripe peaches. That meant they were more watery. After the hour refrigeration time, I had to add more chia seeds. I checked it again an hour later and it was perfect. Just know that the amount of chia seeds may need to be adjusted depending on the fruit you have. I probably ended up at 1 1/2 tablespoons of chia seeds per cup of fruit.

Applesauce-oatmeal Pancakes (Dairy-free, Gluten-free)

These did not begin life in an attempt to be either gluten-free or dairy-free, it just turned out that way. They were an attempt at oatmeal pancakes that I considered edible, an attempt at an autumnal version of my favorite food.

The problem with oatmeal is it has no gluten. You don't want too much gluten in pancakes, of course, but if you don't have any gluten, nothing will hold them together and nothing will hold the air bubbles. The pancakes will fall apart and will be gluey. You should put them back into the bowl and eat them with a spoon. I tried cooking the oatmeal first, letting it soak overnight, and including wheat flour. Finally I settled on soft-whipped egg whites and applesauce.

I originally intended the applesauce to give the pancakes an apple flavor, but it didn't. Any apple flavor cooks right out of the pancakes. Now, normally applesauce is used in baking as a pectin, often as a substitute for fat. Here I'm using it not to replace fat but to replace liquid and starch. I'm not sure why it works (for an intro to the chemistry of cooking with applesauce, look here), but it does. The pancakes have a great texture and flavor: definitely a keeper. Cat says she prefers them to my regular pancakes. I say don't be ridiculous. But they are good enough for weekday fare.

They take longer to cook than regular pancakes--maybe 4 minutes a side instead of 2. Just something to watch out for. Cat also says she think the cast iron is essential, since you want a good browning on the outside to contrast with the soft interior.

Applesauce-Oatmeal Pancakes

Good enough for weekday fare.

ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 cups applesauce
3 eggs, separated
3 T liquid fat (we usually use coconut oil, but be aware that it has a strong flavor)

instructions
0. Fire up your stove and put on the cast iron to get hot.
1. Throw everything but the egg whites into a blender or food processor. Mix it all up.
2. Whip the egg whites into soft peaks.
3. Fold the whites into the batter.
4. Cook on a griddle.
5. Enjoy! Cat likes powdered sugar and cinnamon; the owl-cats like applesauce; I like apple-buttermilk-cinnamon syrup. (Recipe forthcoming.)

Gluten-free banana waffles

The oldest owl-cat's friend is allergic to tree nuts, gluten, and dairy and possibly more--his siblings have additional allergies. He told my son about the banana waffles: for each person eating, mix 1 mashed ripe banana and 2 eggs. That caught my son's imagination and we tried a variation on that theme, which we found here. I didn't have arrowroot powder, so I substituted cornstarch. The coconut oil on the waffle iron added a nice flavor. The cinnamon was nice--I also added vanilla. 

I tripled this recipe for the five of us, so it looked like this:

3 ripe bananas

9 eggs

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

See the recipe for directions. They took about 2 minutes to cook in my waffle iron. I would think that a non Belgian-waffle iron is the best approach (which is what the linked recipe used as well).

We enjoyed them with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

What we thought: Owl was skeptical at first when he saw the recipe, but we all really enjoyed them--even the littlest owl-cat (22 months old) who refuses to eat eggs (but adores bananas). We will make these again!

The owl-cats clamored for more, so I had to appease them with toast. So, it may be better to think 1 recipe per person if you cook for unusually hearty appetites. 

Easter menu--mostly gluten free

Here is what we ate for Easter. It was mostly gluten free for the Owl's sister. She made an amazing gluten-free lemon cake, but I don't have that recipe yet. We love baked goods so much that Celiac has always been the stuff of nightmares, but it doesn't look so bad now.

We enjoyed the food so much, we did not even think to take pictures, so here is our lovely apricot tree in blossom. Three cheers for spring!

Appetizers:
Deviled eggs
Hot corn dip and chips
Brazilian lemonade (wow!)

Roasted boneless leg of lamb
Quinoa tabbouleh
Roasted zucchini
Spinach strawberry salad with poppy seed dressing
Hot cross buns (for a gluten free option, I want to try this roll recipe--it looks amazing)

Flourless chocolate cake

Notes for next time:

Lamb

• let the roast sit at room temperature an hour before cooking
• watch at the higher temperature to make sure it doesn't burn
• use a lower temperature than 400 (325-375)

Quinoa

• use these instructions for cooking quinoa.
• I toasted the rinsed quinoa in a tablespoon of olive oil with a teaspoon of garlic.
• I used some lemon juice and broth for the water. I really liked how these steps added flavor to the quinoa itself.
• Use more lemon juice and less oil than the recipe calls for--more like 1/3 cup lemon juice to 1/4 cup olive oil. Taste to be sure you like that ratio.
• If you don't have fresh mint, don't let that stop you. If you wait until you have everything, you'll drive yourself crazy.

Flourless cake

• I used America's test kitchen recipe, but this looks close. ATK did not use any sugar, and I liked that.
• I used a combination of guittard 60% chocolate chips and special dark chocolate. It was a good balance of budget-friendliness and tastiness.