I love sweets! I also like to (try to) stay in shape. One of my favorite ways to satisfy a craving is eating a juicy, seasonal piece of fruit. Usually I like to eat my fruit fresh, but lately I’ve been buying more strawberries than I can eat, and The Sheikh is just not interested in them the way I am. I feel terrible throwing them away, so I’ve been cutting back on how much I buy in case it turns out to be too much.
BUT, I found a way to save strawberries that are just about to turn overripe. As a bonus, this adds omega-3’s, fiber, and protein to the strawberries, so it’s summer-body friendly, and The Sheikh likes it too! I can continue buying all the strawberries I can carry!
Strawberry-Chia Jam
1 pound of strawberries
Sugar or other sweetener to taste
1 lime
3 tbsp chia seeds
• Wash and remove greens from the strawberries (you can use the tops to make strawberry infused water!) At this point you can also chop them into small pieces if you like smoother jam, or leave them whole for chunkier pieces
• In a saucepan over medium heat, add the juice of one lime and your sweetener to the strawberries. I used sugar, but you can also use another granulated sweetener, honey, agave syrup, or anything else you’re a fan of.
• Let the strawberries stew for about twenty minutes, until the fruit is soft and the sugar is dissolved. I use a wooden spoon or potato masher to smooth out the consistency if necessary
• Let your jam cool a bit, and then add the chia seeds and stir. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes and then stir again. If you want the jam to be thicker, you can add more chia seeds but keep in mind that it will continue to thicken as it cools. Once set, you can’t even tell the chia seeds are there, they just look like little strawberry seeds!
• If you want a really smooth consistency and the appearance of no seeds, you can blend the jam as well. I chose to leave the texture in mine.
• Once the jam is cool, pour it into a jar. This recipe makes about 12-16 oz.
This will keep in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. I just froze my first jar, so I’m not sure how long it will last in there yet.
This recipe is so easy and versatile, and people are always impressed when you say the jam is homemade! I’m excited to try this with other fruits, maybe with flavors in the jam – peach basil and raspberry maple are next on my to-try list.
ADVENTURAE 