Pumpkin Spiced Pancakes with Pumpkin Chia Pudding and Fresh Figs...YUM!

Funny, most of you seem to not like okra or even attempt to cook it. That kind of surprised me, but I also like that I'm not alone in the "I don't care for okra" club!

Let's continue on the subject of weird foods shall we...

How about chia seeds. I won't lie to you, I wanted to try them forever, but once I got them...I was afraid of doing anything with these little suckers. Tony told me flat out that he's grown his share of chia pets and has no intention of ever eating the stuff. No worries, now that I've tried them...I'm hooked! I've seen chia pudding all over the place. Some version or another of this crazy concoction. The stuff looks like something from the dinosaur age. I know, you start eating with your eyes, seriously, it looks disgusting, but hear me out...it's good! And nutritious! How can you not love it?

My first experience, I went in blindly. I soaked the seeds in some almond milk for about an hour. I kept coming back to stir it and look at it. It was definitely a science experiment. I figured since I was such a scaredy cat, I would at least put it with something I love...pancakes!

These were pumpkin pie spiced pancakes with pumpkin chia pudding and fresh figs. Oh my...this was heaven on a plate! The warm spiced pancakes with the cool pudding and the sweet figs...hello fall!

To be honest, the pudding was creamy. I thought it would be more gelatinous, but I really liked the consistency. It made the pancakes decadent.

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Pancakes

(makes 5 pancakes)

3/4 cup white wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

a few shakes of pumpkin pie spice

3/4 to 1 cup water or almond milk (used water this time-for thicker pancakes, use less) 

20 drops vanilla NuNaturals stevia

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and spices in a bowl. Add the water (or milk) and stevia. Stir to mix well. Cook in a preheated nonstick skillet flipping halfway through. 

Pumpkin Chia Pudding

1 TBSP chia seeds (I used Bob's Red Mill)

1/2 cup almond milk

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

a few shakes of pumpkin pie spice

20 drops vanilla NuNatural stevia

Combine the chia sees and the milk. Set aside to soak for an hour or over night. Stir occasionally. After thickened, add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. 

I can't wait to play with chia seeds more. Did you know that they have 5 times more calcium than milk? That right there is a great reason for someone like me, that can't have dairy, to get these little crazy seeds in my diet more often!