Sprouted Chia Low Carb Dessert

As I mentioned in previous posts I have switched our gardening focus to my window sill sprout garden over the last month or so. One of my delightfully successful experiments was to make a sprouted chia desert. Chia seeds have 4g of carbs per tablespoon and it is all fiber. Unlike alfalfa or mung bean sprouts, chia sees have a gel sack around the outside that absorbs all the mositure needed for the seed to germinate. This gel sack makes the liquid they are in thick and viscous.

This gelling process happens quickly and the thickening can be substantial by just letting it stand overnight. Here is the recipe using chia seeds, coconut milk, stevia and the fruit of your choice.

Coleslaw - The Waldorf Version

The classic Waldorf salad uses lettuce, but this version uses cabbage. Like the original invented by Oscar Tschirky, the dining room manager at the renowned Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York city, is has apples, walnuts and it is addictive in its crisp, delicate, crunchy, sweet and sour form.

History lesson aside, this is a great slaw.

Let me tell you about my "X"

When I started my first job out of college 30 years ago this month I got a shiny new IBM PC XT. This new PC was the first with a hard drive, 128 kB of RAM (Woo Hoo), Intel 8088 4.77 MHz processor, and Lotus I23 spreadsheet. It was a beauty and state of the art. We were still using punch card for FORTRAN programs and terminals hooked to a Digital PDP 11 in college. Even digital calculators were only a few years on the market and slide rules had been the rule up until the early 1980's. But I digress... I used a PC both at home and at work for over 25 years. I still use a Windows laptop at work and I'm writing this on a windows lap top at home.

About 3 years ago I got fed up with the extreme vulnerability of the Windows operating system to viruses and getting hung up. We were constantly having to do "maintenance".

So we jumped ship

Brussels Sprout Slaw

One of the challenges in the late fall and early winter is to come up with creative salad options that use seasonal vegetables. The slaw recipe uses Brussels sprouts, carrots, red onions and apples. All are readily available in November and December in Minnesota.

Ingredients

1 Quart Brussels Sprouts finely chopped
1 Large carrot, grated
1 Small Red Onion, finely sliced
1 Apple, cored and sliced into slivers
1 cup pecans
A sprinkle of  cayenne or chiptole pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon coarse brown or Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions

Use one tablespoon of the maple syrup to mix with the pecans. When well mixed sprinkle with a little of your favorite pepper. Set the oven to 200F and toast for 10 minutes. The pecans will stick to the cookie sheet, so you will have to scrape lose.

Mix 3 tablespoons maple syrup, the mustard, salt, pepper. Wisk with the olive oil.

Toss with the Brussels sprouts, carrots, onion and apple. Let sit for 30 minutes to blend flavors.

The slaw can be used as a salad or as a garnish on a sandwich.

You may not have this available but I also added a large tablespoon of poblano relish to the dressing. This provided a little zip without being too spicy.