Who would’ve ever thought that those awful chia pet commercials from the ’60’s— that seemingly ran incessantly at Christmas—would sprout a wave of nutrient awareness today? I use them to fortify almost everything: desserts, smoothies, juices, baked goods, soups, stews, chili and even pasta sauce. Nowadays, you just can’t enough Omega-3 and chia has it in spades. One ounce of chia is equivalent to 3lbs of salmon. Although, until I can figure out how to make an omelet without breaking an egg, I’ll stick to egg whites. But for everything else, I substitute with chia gel. It’s incredibly easy to make and will keep in the refrigerator 2-3 weeks. The recipe below yields 1/4 cup chia gel or 1-egg.

Ingredients:

1-tablespoon ground chia seeds (use spice grinder)

3-tablespoons water

Method: Pour water over chia and whisk well to break-up lumps.  Refrigerate for 30-minutes. FYI: For optimal results when substituting chia gel for eggs, be sure and whisk into milk prior to combing with dry ingredients.