Succulent Vanilla Chia Custard

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Recipe from Jennafer Ashley of PaleoHacks

When it comes to traditional and timeless desserts, one of
the most loved choices that many people appreciate is vanilla custard. Creamy
and sweet, this classic culinary treat is made by gently heating a mixture of
eggs and cream until it reaches the desired thickness.[1]

Custard has been around since the Middle Ages, and was first
used as a filling for tarts and pies. Today, it’s incorporated in various
desserts, such as eclairs and trifles, or served by itself. There’s even a
National Vanilla Custard Day, which falls on August 17[CO1] ,
to celebrate this elegant but mouthwatering dessert.[2]

Most custard recipes today, however, often don’t skimp on
the sweet ingredients, meaning you’re unknowingly consuming high amounts of sugar with every
bite. Ready-to-eat versions also use pasteurized
milk which, as I’ve discussed before, can spell trouble for your health.

If you’re looking for a healthy option, this Succulent
Vanilla Chia Custard recipe created by Jennafer Ashley from Paleohacks is a wonderful and wholesome
choice. Not only does it use coconut milk in place of cow’s milk (making it tolerable
for lactose-intolerant people), but it also blends in chia seeds, a delicious
source of dietary fiber, protein, healthy fats and more.

Whether as a palate cleanser after a filling meal or as a
quick snack that will get you through the rest of the day, this easy custard recipe
is a sure winner.

Ingredients:

4 pastured egg yolks

13 1/2 ounces full-fat coconut milk

2 Tbsp. chia seeds

2 Tbsp. Dr. Mercola’s raw honey

1/2
tsp. vanilla bean powder or Dr. Mercola’s vanilla extract [ECF2]

Procedure:

1. Pour coconut milk and honey into a saucepan and heat over
medium heat. Pour eggs into a heat-resistant bowl. When milk-honey mixture is
steaming hot, slowly pour over eggs and vigorously whisk. Return egg mixture to
saucepan and continue whisking.

2. Whisk in vanilla bean powder. Reduce heat to low and
continue to heat but do not boil, whisking regularly. Once custard has
thickened, about 10 minutes, remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. Stir in
chia seeds and divide custard among 2 jars.

3. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Prep time: 15
minutes

Cook time: 15
minutes

Yields 2 cups

Succulent, (Mildly) Sweet
and Satisfying: This Chia Custard Recipe Has Got You Covered

The simplicity of this custard recipe makes it perfect for
people who want a quick and easy dish to cap off a delicious meal. However, the
timing and the temperature you use are essential to get a flawless end product.

Custard should be cooked at the right pace, using a low
temperature. Cooking custard too quickly by using a temperature that’s too high
will make the egg proteins curdle, giving you something that resembles
scrambled eggs, and not the smooth treat you’re after. The Spruce[3]
even advises using indirect heat, such as by putting the mixture in a double-broiler
(just like melting chocolate or making hollandaise sauce), to get the perfect
texture you want.

As equally important as the cooking method are the
ingredients you will use to make this dessert. Remember that the quality of
your raw ingredients can greatly affect the nutritional content of any dish. Just
take a look at the wholesome ingredients used for this recipe:

·
Pastured
egg yolks — Egg yolks have been unfairly vilified for decades because they
contain cholesterol and saturated fat, and are believed to contribute to high
cholesterol levels and heart disease. But did you know that the yolk is
actually more nutrient dense compared to egg whites?

Egg yolk contains omega-3 fats, vitamins A,
E, D and K, and higher levels of vitamin B12, folate and choline. It’s also
where all the antioxidants
lutein and zeaxanthin are found.

If you’re still afraid that eating egg
yolks can damage your health, take a look at this recent study published in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Even carriers of ApoE4 gene, which make
them
susceptible to heart disease, egg and cholesterol intake were not found to
increase the risk of coronary artery disease.[4]

Plus, a separate
research found that dietary cholesterol from eggs actually contributed to an
increase in beneficial HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol.[5]

When buying eggs, make sure that
you buy only true free-range, pastured eggs from a local farmer or health food
store. Look for egg yolks with a bright orange color, as pale yellow yolks are
an indication that the eggs are raised in factory farms.

·
Chia
seeds — Consuming just 2 tablespoons of chia seeds can give you 50 percent
of the daily recommended value for manganese, 24 percent of magnesium and 18
percent of calcium — three minerals that are essential for bone health, energy
metabolism, DNA synthesis and healthy weight management.

Two tablespoons of chia seeds also
equal 10 grams of fiber, which is definitely a boon to your health, as fiber
can help reduce your risk of a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes
and stroke.

Chia seeds are also one of the most
cost-efficient foods you can buy because they do not go bad for a long time.
They can actually last up to two years with no refrigeration, mainly because of
their high antioxidant levels.

A word of caution when eating chia
seeds: if you have dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), do not eat dry chia seeds.
When mixed with liquids, the seeds can form a gel-like ball that can block your
esophagus and may need medical treatment to be removed. Thus, blending it in a recipe like this before eating is a
wonderful alternative to eating them by themselves.

·
Coconut
milk — Produced by expressing the juice of grated coconut meat and blending
it with water, coconut milk is becoming popular among vegan communities today
because it can work as a great dairy alternative. It also doesn’t hold back in
terms of nutritional value — it’s actually rich in antioxidants, vitamins C, E
and B, potassium, magnesium, iron and phosphorus.

But what makes coconut milk so wonderful is
its high amounts of healthy fats. Coconut milk contains lauric acid, a
medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA), which is not only converted to energy (and not
as fat), but is also transformed into monolaurin in your body. This
monoglyceride can actually eliminate lipid-coated viruses such as HIV and herpes, measles, gram-negative
bacteria, influenza and protozoa such as Giardia lamblia.

·
Vanilla
bean powder — Made from dried and powdered vanilla beans, but without any additional
sugar or alcohol, this powder gives this dessert the pleasing aroma and sweet
taste that makes it so popular. In
addition, vanilla also offers benefits to your health, mainly through vanillin,
its chief chemical component.

Vanillin has been linked to lower bad
cholesterol levels and improved symptoms of gout, arthritis and other
inflammatory conditions. Fresh vanilla beans also provide small traces of iron,
manganese, potassium, magnesium and zinc, as well as antioxidants that can help
prevent tissue and cell breakdown.[6]^,[7]

Finally, this recipe uses raw honey, a natural sweetener
with many health benefits, in place of fructose or sugar. But even though it
offers boons to your health, honey should be consumed in moderation because it can
exacerbate pre-existing insulin resistance and wreak havoc on your body in excessive
amounts. If you have insulin resistance, you should scrap honey from the
ingredients list.

About the Author:

Paleohacks is
one of the largest Paleo communities on the web. They offer everything Paleo,
from a Q&A forum where users get their top health questions answered, to a
community blog featuring daily recipes, workouts and wellness content. You can
also tune in to their podcast, where they bring in the top experts in the Paleo
world to share the latest, cutting-edge health information.

Source:: Mercola Health Articles