It’s been 4 days since I left Portland and all of the amazing people at Vida Vegan Con. I’ve done my laundry and sorted through my e-mails and photos, but I have yet to tackle the paperwork I accumulated at the conference. I literally have a stack of business cards, notes, handouts, flyers and newsletters to pore through.
In the coming weeks, I’ll post tidbits of information that I picked up the conference, such as how important your voice is in creating a successful blog. We can all find information on the internet, but blogging is social media and it’s about people.
Speaking of people, I had the opportunity to meet some of my blogging and vegan idols this past weekend. One such hero is Jasmin Singer of Our Hen House.
Jasmin rocks, ’nuff said.
Another person I stalked was JL of JL Goes Vegan:
Not only does JL rock, but she is a rock star. I could not (and did not try to) keep up with this lady. Note: I wrote a guest post on JL’s Vegan 101 series: “The Health Benefits of Going Vegan.” You can see it here.
Additionally, I met several bloggers whose blogs I read regularly, but I failed to take pics. I also had the opportunity to express my undying devotion to Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. She was as beautiful and eloquent in person as she is on her podcasts.
Less important than meeting my fellow vegan bloggers, yet still a wonderful memory, was the food from the conference. Last night I re-created the Chia Seed Pudding served at breakfast both days. The original recipe is here and now I know why it tasted so great….sugar!!! 
I decided to use dates to sweeten my soy milk when I made my own version.
You’ll start with chia seeds, they look like this:
You’ll need 2/3 of a cup that you mix with 2 cups of soy milk that have been blended with 10 large dates and a splash of vanilla extract:
Stir it up and let it sit for 10 minutes. It will start to look like this:
Give it another stir, wait 10 more minutes and you’re almost there:
When the chia seeds have absorbed most of the liquid, the pudding is done! I served mine with a sprinkle of dried coconut and some dried cranberries:
What should have been 4 servings was only 2 between my husband and me. It’s that delicious. The texture is soft with a teeny bit of crunch and the flavor is delicate and comforting. I am envisioning all kinds of variations on this recipe.
Basic Date-Sweetened Chia Pudding – Serves 4
Ingredients:
2/3 cup chia seeds (found at a natural foods store or online)
2 cups unsweetened soy milk (or your choice of non-dairy milk)
10 large dates
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
dried coconut and cranberries for garnish (optional)
Directions:
Combine soy milk, dates and vanilla in a high-speed blender and whirl until combined thoroughly. Mix together blended ingredients with chia seeds in a large bowl. Stir frequently over the course of 20-30 minutes. Alternatively, place mixture in the refrigerator and let it sit until liquid is absorbed.
Are you a fan of chia seeds? How do you use them?
Goodbye Portland and thanks for the memories!
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
I can’t believe I didn’t take more photos, either
SO many awesome people (like YOU!) that I would have loved photos with! I was just present and talking with people, forgetting to capture that on “film”.
I love that you already made the chia pudding, and love that you used dates! That was one of my favorite breakfast items, and while many think it’s weird looking, I think it’s pretty and sparkly!
Ha ha, I like that, “pretty and sparkly.” Just like us, right?
indeed!
Vida Vegan Con sounds pretty amazing. I love chia seeds, never made the pudding but put them on my oatmeal all the time!
Hey Caitlin! Are you moved yet? You should try the pudding, it’s tastes just like tapioca to me. Mmmmm!
Yay, I’m happy you liked the chia seed pudding! There was a lot of chia skepticism during breakfast, what with the color (grey?!) and texture (goopy!), but I love them anyway.
What it lacks in sex appeal it makes up in flavor and texture, I loved it!
ha ha so funny to see jazz on your site! i’ve known her for over a decade
I love that you suggested that I listen to her podcast because it’s had such an influence on me. I told her that I knew you from blogging and the Foodbuzz Festival.
I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED meeting you! I want more time with you!
I love chia seeds (in dehydrated crackers or bread) or mixed with water and lime juice (chia fresca) but I just don’t love chia pudding. I wish I did!
Hugs, JL! We’ll figure out a way to get together sooner than spring 2013, either on your coast or mine.
me too, ME TOO! I want in on this!
Yes! Both you ladies should come visit me in sunny California when it’s cold and dark where you live!
So glad you had fun—I always neglect the photo aspect of things like that, and then later I wish I had more pics! But you got a few good ones
Also, love chia pudding—the sweetener part definitely makes it awesome!
I look forward to trying this!
I’m finally been running through the blogs that we got at VVC – what a blast!
Yours is one I will keep on the list and look forward to learning from. I appreciate your whole food approach.
Hi Martha, thanks for the comment and welcome! There are so many great blogs from VVC, I’m having fun reading through them, too.
I realize I’m commenting on this really really late. But let me just say that it was such a pleasure meeting you at VVC, and so wonderful getting to know you since then. And thanks for that lovely photo.
I also loved the chia pudding at VVC, so I made your recipe this week, and LOVED IT. Just finished it, as a matter of fact. We tried to keep the portions small, because I realized how much fat is in that amount of Chia seeds (and dates). I know it’s good fat, though. But it was still too much fat for us.
That said, WOW! This was incredibly good. We make our own soymilk, which made it even more fun for us. I’m excited about making this again and trying other variations of it. THANK YOU!
Thanks Jasmin, of course I enjoyed meeting you, too, and looking forward to growing our friendship. I’m so glad you pointed out the fat content in chia seeds. To be honest, I never paid much attention to their nutritional content other than knowing they have a lot of fiber and they taste good. I looked at the fat content after reading your comment and was pretty surprised by the how much they have. I am now really curious to know the nutritional analysis of the chia pudding as I prepare it and am going to post it as soon as I figure it out. Thanks for your comment!
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