Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!

Doesn't just reading that instantly bring you back 20 years? (sad, huh? It has indeed been that long.) If you watched any TV, you remember this beauty from 1985:

I remember we got my Mom one for Mother's Day one year. It was great, and weird. The seeds mixed into a slimy, jelly, spreadable blob. One would think there must have been some strange additive into the seed mix to make it that way, right? Nope. They just do that.

I'm sure you're wondering why I'm discussing Chia Pets on a food blog. Turns out those little chia seeds are a SUPER food. They're high in Omega-3 fatty acids (even more than flax seeds), calcium, and protein, and pack tons of fiber. Chia seeds even made it onto Oprah with Dr. Oz-- here.

I bought some at the co-op this week and I'm trying a few different things with them. We had some sprinkled on our salad, and I didn't even notice them (they're flavorless, by the way). I'm planning to make some chia gel to bake with (see this website; you can replace half the butter in a recipe w/ gel and supposedly not notice...I'll keep you posted on that one). And for dessert tonight I made chocolate rice krispie treats with some mixed in, and they were DELISH. Even my non-health-food-nut parents enjoyed them. Recipe follows below, and I will experiment with some cookie-baking this week.

PS-Good luck getting the Chia Pet song out of your head. :)

Chocolate Chia Rice Krisipie Treats

modified from Clean Food, by Terry Walters

3/4 c. maple syrup

1/2 c. peanut butter

1/4 c. chocolate chips

3 c. crispy rice cereal

1/4 c. toasted sesame seeds

1/4 c. chia seeds

In a medium Dutch oven over medium-low heat, combine syrup and peanut butter until smooth. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Fold in rice cereal, chia seeds, and sesame seeds and stir to coat everything. Press into an 8x8 casserole and refrigerate until firm (at least 20 minutes). Cut into squares and serve or store in an airtight container.

Makes 1-1 1/2 dozen 1" squares