Chia Seed Gel is featured in Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies – one of the recipes being shared with the Vegan Mainstream Cookbook Club this week.

I absolutely love chia seeds! I especially appreciate all of the nutrition and health benefits that they provide to my body, and I try to work them into my daily diet wherever and whenever I can. That being said, I have run into an obstacle, or should I say, a slight annoyance when it comes to my enjoying this awesome superfood. Much like their seedy counterpart, the poppy seed, teeny-tiny chia seeds will often get caught in between my teeth when I’ve used them as a topping to my morning meal or dinner salad. Thankfully, as the saying goes, “necessity is the mother of invention.” In an effort to ease my frustration (and to avoid the amused stares of those around me), I sought out a solution to stave off the unsightly specks in my smile, and the answer was actually quite simple – Chia Seed Gel to the rescue!

So what exactly is Chia Seed Gel? Well, it’s a modest mixture of just two ingredients – water and chia seeds. That’s it! You see, one of the many amazing attributes of chia seeds is that they are mucilaginous, which means that when they get wet, they swell and secrete a sticky, gel-like substance. While this may all sound a bit strange and unappetizing to you at first, it’s this mucilage-secreting property that gives you a sense of fullness when you ingest chia seeds, which can be sort of a secret weapon for those looking for ways to cut their calorie intake or portion sizes as the means to dropping a few pounds. As mind-boggling as it may sound, chia seeds are capable of absorbing more than nine times their volume in liquid! As a result, chia seeds miraculously stay suspended in whatever liquid that they’re combined with, and can help to emulsify your favorite beverages, soups, sauces, salad dressings, and other such items without adding any oils, flours, starches, or other stabilizers.

For me, Chia Seed Gel was the perfect solution to getting a generous daily dose of chia seeds and solving my dental dilemma, as the water-logged chia seeds now easily glide over my teeth without getting stuck between them–yeah! Chia Seed Gel has quickly become my go-to ingredient in many of my culinary creations, which is why it was chosen to be the first recipe in my new book, Chia: Using the Ancient Superfood. I suggest adding several spoonfuls of Chia Seed Gel to your morning bowl of fresh fruit or hot or cold cereal, as not only will it give your meal a nutrient boost, it will also keep you feeling full and energized to face the day ahead. It also works great as a binder in veggie burgers and meatless loaves, and as an egg replacer in muffins, quick breads, cakes, cookies, and other baked goods.

Chia Seed Gel

Yield: 3/4 cup

 Simple to make, chia seed gel is virtually flavorless but can lend a tremendous boost of nutrition to whatever you add it to. This thick gel has an endless amount of uses and can work in recipes as a replacement for eggs, oil, or margarine. It can also act as a binder or thickener in baked goods, beverages, sauces, salad dressings, and soups, and can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. It’s important to make chia seed gel using filtered water to avoid concentrating the harsh chemicals and compounds often found in tap water.

• 3/4 cup filtered water
• 4 teaspoons chia seeds

Put the water and chia seeds in a small bowl and whisk until well combined. Set aside for 15 minutes to thicken. Whisk again to break up any clumps of chia seeds. Transfer to a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid or other airtight container. Stored in the refrigerator, Chia Seed Gel will keep for 2 weeks.

Chia Seed Gel is featured in Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies – one of the recipes being shared with the Vegan Mainstream Cookbook Club this week. Both are from Chia: Using the Ancient Superfood.

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Beverly Lynn Bennett is an experienced vegan chef and baker, writer, and animal advocate who is passionate about showing the world how easy, delicious, and healthy it is to live and eat as a vegan. Beverly is the author of Vegan Bites: Recipes for Singles and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Slow Cooking. She is also the coauthor of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Living, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Cooking, and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Gluten-Free Cooking. Her work has appeared in many national and international print publications, on public television and DVD, and all over the web. She has hosted the popular Vegan Chef website at VeganChef.com since 1999 and has been regular columnist for VegNews magazine since 2002. Beverly currently lives and works in Eugene, Oregon.