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Monday, March 20, 2017

#COOKING WITH CLORIS—GUEST CHARACTER BECKI GREEN WHISKS UP CHIA CEREAL FOR A REVITALIZING SPRING BREAKFAST

Award-winning mystery author Cynthia St-Pierre has had both recipes and short stories published in many magazines and collections. Today we’re joined by Cynthia’s favourite heroine Becki Green. Learn more about Cynthia and her books at her website and Becki on her blog. 

Spring feels like potent magic, doesn’t it? All that was frozen dead thaws and comes back to life. Ta-da!

There are recipes that I find miraculous in the same way. One of them is Chia Cereal. With just 1/4 cup of dry seeds and 3 more ingredients (the last two items are  just my choice of milk and sweetener that everyone adds to cereal), a nourishing morning meal materializes. Now that I think about it, does one count water as an ingredient? Not really. So 3 real ingredients and, voila! Breakfast!

Seeds, water to swell them, so very much like the magic of spring!

The mouthfeel of Chia Cereal is like tapioca pudding. Tiny orbs (tinier than tapioca) in a pudding-like base, neutral to sweet, and delicious with the additional sweetness of cashew milk and a drizzle or two of my favourite amber syrup.

Chia Cereal happens to be vegan and raw but please don’t be anxious about these terms. They just mean that Chia Cereal is healthy, good for the environment, great for animals and full of digestion-boosting enzymes because it hasn’t been heated above 118ºF.

Chia Cereal
Yield: 1 serving but multiplies well (and also does long division)

Ingredients
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup water
Cashew milk
Raw agave syrup

Whisk the chia seeds into the water in a cereal bowl. Whisk continuously until the cereal starts to thicken and smoothen. Then you can replace the whisk with a spoon and stir occasionally. Whisk and stir for a combined total of 10 min.

Pour on cashew milk to taste and drizzle with agave syrup.


A Killer Necklace
Who is the dead woman at the bottom of the stairs?

When Weather Network star Gina Monroe arrives in Black Currant Bay for her wedding shower, all is bliss. But happiness turns to horror when Gina and close friend Becki find the hostess with her head bashed in.

Strange things come to light when Gina and Becki are asked to sort through the dead woman's belongings. Just who was this woman? And why did frumpy Louisa have a closet full of vintage couturier clothes?

As the investigation continues, the danger increases. Arson reveals the hiding place of a fabulous sapphire necklace, which leads to more questions and ramps up the risk for Gina and Becki. A killer is determined to keep the identity of the dead woman a secret—even if it means killing again.

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2 comments:

Judith Mehl said...

And Chia seeds provide a huge amount of Omega-3. I'd never thought to just cook it as a cereal. Thanks for sharing.

Cynthia St-Pierre said...

My pleasure, Judith. Now I'm about to check out the debut of your Herbal Sleuth Series!