Savoury Chia Pudding with Miso, Nori & Roasted Tomatoes

Chia seeds exploded into popularity recently with chia puddings now being available on every street corner. This is great as they are a wonderful source of healthful omega 3 fats, fibre and vegetarian protein but in my opinion there has been a great injustice in that they have been reserved for the sweet toothed only. One of the big considerations to make when opting for these ‘health’ foods is what they have been combined with – lots of exotic fruits, agave or maple syrup are sadly just sugar by any other name. Now this is not to say we should avoid these forever but when considering a breakfast or snack that we think is up there on the superfood scale we need to be aware of what we’re diving into.

This for me is of increased relevance when it comes to breakfast. Overnight oats/Bircher muesli/chia puddings are all great pre-preparable breakfast options so that the morning requires little input bar selecting a spoon. However it is well documented that the first thing we pop into our mouths will dictate the way our blood sugar behaves throughout the day – if we go with a lot of sugar we cause a great big spike resulting in a rush of insulin to bring it back down and a fluctuating cycle is born. However if we opt for something higher in protein, fibre and fats these affect blood glucose in a far gentler manner, slowly releasing their bounty, keeping our energy levels sustained which prevents energy dips and sweet cravings later on. If you do fancy a fruitier breakfast combination however opt for a smaller amount of low sugar berries balanced nicely with some flaked almonds or pumpkin seeds.
After that small digression I shall return to the task at hand.

I was actually considering a super quick and portable lunch (from a practically empty fridge!) that would fill me up and could be prepared in the 15 minutes I had. On went the kettle and out came the wonderfully probiotic white miso (more delicate in flavour than brown but that would work just as well), combined with the earthy-ness of the mineral rich Nori this intense flavour works brilliantly with the versatility of the chia. A few cherry tomatoes, quickly cooked down in a pan to increase their Lycopene content (a potent antioxidant of particular benefit to men), some thawed edamame beans for a bit of extra plant based protein and a few florets of lightly steamed broccoli for all its green vegetable goodness and this fab new creation was born! I will personally be experimenting with a variety of different veggies to pair with my new discovery, I have a feeling some sautéed garlicky spinach or mushrooms should feature in the near future 🙂 Bulk out with more greens for busy days, add a boiled egg if exercising as well or scale down to a size that suits you for a great metabolism balancing snack.