Spring it’s here! After months of snow and cold, as nature intended, we are now officially into the new season: a time of rebirth, blossoming, the birds are chirping, the days are lighter and lighter and this is the time when we should do some detox to get ready to enter this new period. Hence, I am sharing this recipe with you, because it is packed with nutrients that will help you dealing with Springtime in an energising and refreshing way.

Now, I don’t know about you, but going from Winter to Spring for me it’s always devastating: it has been like this for more than 10 years (before I went vegan) and it’s the only change of season that brings with it, physical and mental issues: from brain fog to feeling physically depleted as well as gastrointestinal problems (I am going to talk about this Seasonal Affective Disorder soon because maybe there some of you who suffer from the same stuff and I can help you with the solutions that I am using for myself), leaving Winter is quite a challenge every year.

For this reason, I was absolutely delighted to read about a very quick and easy recipe for Chia Fresca by Choosing Chia. And it’s obviously vegan!

Let’s get down to business. The recipe wants:

1 1/2 cups filtered water

1 tbsp chia seeds

juice of 1/2 lemon 

1–3 tsp maple syrup  

pinch of cayenne (optional)

Mix all the ingredients in a glass or jar. Stir or shake it up to make sure the chia seeds don’t clump together.

Let sit in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before drinking.

It is easy, delicious, very quick. However, I have modified it a little bit: I have been using 1/2 cup of boiled water and 1 cup of cool water, no maple syrup nor cayenne. Instead, I have been adding 1 kiwi (peeled and sliced). I prepare this first thing in the morning, while I prepare breakfast and I drink it until lunchtime: it does provide a good kick and I have been able to focus a bit better at work while also calming my stomach.

But I would also like to show you the nutritional value of the ingredients used for this amazing recipe. And again, all this is vegan and superhealthy, so give it a try!

Chia Seeds

From Harvard T. H.. Chan School of Public Health: “Two tablespoons of chia seeds (1 ounce or 28 grams) contain about 140 calories, 4 grams of protein, 11 grams of fiber, 7 grams of unsaturated fat, 18% RDA for calcium, and trace minerals including zinc and copper. They are the richest plant source of omega-3 fatty acids. Chia seeds are a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids that cannot be made by the body.”

From Healthline.com we have another complete brakdown of all the nutrition facts of these little seeds. For example, what they might be lacking in vitamins, they’ll make up with minerals: Manganese, Phosphorus, Copper, Selenium, Iron, Magnesium and Calcium. They also contain many antioxidants (the good stuff that it’s supposed to be helping against cancer).

Lemon juice

This ingredient is very famous because is so rich in Vitamin C (an essential vitamin for the proper functioning of the immune system, and much more). But did you know that it has a good amount of Vitamin A? Another important vitamin for the immune system as well helping in maintaining healthy skin.

But lemon juice is not only a magnificent source of such vitamins: it is also your ally against kidney stones and anemia (amongst other benefits – read more here and here).

Kiwi

As I said, my version of the vegan Chia Fresca sees the use of kiwi. I have always been used to eating kiwis when I was little because my grandma loves them and this has been passed on to my mum. Now, I am not crazy about them like my grandma, but I like their taste: the combination of bitter and sweet and the juicy pulp, makes it a nice snack. Or also it can be used to take away a bit of the sweetness of some foods that sometimes are really too sweet, if you get what I mean. For example, I used to slice a kiwi to put in those yoghurts where cleary they used a bit too much sugar and/or sweetners. I am not trying to sell you some kiwis, but just to give you an idea one kiwi has

• 42 calories (cal)
• 215 milligrams (mg) of potassium, or 5 percent recommended daily value (DV)
• 1 g of dietary fiber, or 8 percent DV
• 8 g of protein, or 2 percent DV
• 23 mg of calcium, or 2 percent DV
• 64 mg of vitamin C, or 107 percent DV
• 2 g of sugar
• 1 mg of vitamin E, or 5 percent DV
• 8 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin K, or 35 percent DV
• 7 mg of magnesium, or 3 percent DV
• 60 international units (IU) of vitamin A, or 1 percent DV
• 17 mcg of folate
  (from EverydayHealth.com)

which I think it’s already pretty amazing. And all this translates in many health advantages such as being beneficial for the respiratory tract and gastrointestinal system.

So, now you can go and try this delicious (and nutricious) beverage. Let me know if you’ll try it and if it gave you a boost of vitality.

Drink up!

It’s Sunday and despite being in March it is still quite cold. So it comes natural seeking some comfort food. And there is not comfort-er food than this vegan babka: a cake that will be perfect for your breakfast, but also for an afternoon snack (and why not, after dinner, while you’re watching your favourite TV show).

The first time I heard the word ‘babka’ was when a friend showed me the picture of a babka he made. Unfortunately, this was not vegan. But this was not a deterrent for me: the cake was way too beautiful and looked so darn tasty so I started researching for recipes of vegan babkas, that were reasonably doable without requiring the help of celestial being for overly complicated cooking and baking processes (something that happens when I see the list of ingredients for some recipes).

And there it was: after comparing some recipes, I found it! The Domestic Gothess shared the recipe for a beautiful Vegan Chocolate Babka and I didn’t hesitate to make it straight away (when I find something that I like I am like a dog with a bone). The ingredients are almost all vegan pantry-staples so you too can make this delicious treat right now. The process might seem lengthy, but trust me it is actually straightforward. Plus, you have the sensorial experience of working the vegan butter into the dough and I found it so fun! Very squishy and messy at the beginning, but I enjoyed it a lot. The only downside is that you have to be patient with the rising time because you’ll have to leave the dough to rise in the fridge overnight. But other than that, this recipe won’t take too long and all this work will be well worth the result: a luscious, delicious sweet treat for yourself (and all those that appreciate bread and chocolate).

Try it now!