In recent weeks, we've made the decision as a family to drastically lower our consumption of processed foods due to certain health issues. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to say goodbye to Nutella yet though... Yes I know I could make my own... Yes I know it's 50% sugar... But it's sooooo yummy!!!
Quite a few foods we used to eat, now either need to be tweaked or made from scratch. Thankfully I enjoy a good food challenge!
Challenge one - a spread for toast!
Commercial jam is basically sugar and wheat with a touch of fruit in it. Even making jam from scratch, will require an equal ratio of fruit to sugar. DaddyJ loves his strawberry jam on toast, so let's get this sorted asap.
Here's an easy 3 ingredient version which is fresh, fruity and full of goodness!
The only downside, it doesn't keep longer than a week (maybe two if your fridge is extra cold) and you can't can it like regular jam. But you can freeze it!
Most importantly, make sure you purchase the best, ripest, juiciest berries you can as all the flavor comes from the fruit.
You'll need...
500g strawberries, washed and stems removed (any berries will work)
Liquid sweetener of choice - agave, honey, maple syrup, etc.
2 tbsp white chia seeds
Make it!
- first, roughly chop the strawberries and be sure to get rid of any icky bits.
- heat the berries and the sweetener in a saucepan over medium heat. Start with a tablespoon or two of sweetener, you can add more at the end.
- gently mash with a fork or potato masher until you get it as smooth or as chunky as you like.
- once the mix is rich and gooey, take off the heat and stir in the chia. Be sure to mix thoroughly so the seeds don't clump.
- let the jam sit for 10 minutes then adjust the sweetness if needed.
- if you don't like the texture of the seeds, you can use a blender or food processor.
- pour into smallish jars and refrigerate or freeze... ENJOY!
