Fun Friday: Blackberry & Cherry Chia Jam

Today, I wanted to start a new series to celebrate all things waffle....making fun syrups, jams, sauces, chutneys, and compotes (just to name a few) to accompany your creations!

This theme day was inspired by the blog Yumuniverse. Heather Crosby is the creator of this blog/book bearing the blog's namesake, and it's so creative, thorough, and satisfies my need for knowing all things plant based!!

I received her cookbook as a birthday gift for my Kindle, and I tore through it like I did reading 50 Shades Darker (looking forward to seeing that movie next week btw).

One recipe I just HAD to make from that book was her raspberry and chia jam. There was only one problem. Well, I didn't have any raspberries. And I've never made this type of jam before in my life. So, make that 2 problems.

Well, what type of jam is this? One that's way easier than what I learned growing up--you know, sterilizing the jars, spending long times cooking over the stove, slicing fruit, filling the hot jars, sealing the jars and then storing them. While it is a fun process, it's certainly a long one. And sometimes I just want a quick jam I can make up in a few minutes to enjoy on waffles, oats, crackers, rice cakes, and ahhhhmazing gluten free bread courtesy of Heather and her Gluten Free Baking Academy.

This recipe absolutely fits the bill. It was quick, fresh, and uses chia seeds for the gelatinizing agent....why had I never thought of that before? I'm glad she did...because my jam life will never be the same! This is my new go to. And while I didn't have raspberries, I had some frozen blackberries and cherries which caught my eye. Excellent choice B if I do say so myself.
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The two biggest things to remember here are:


1) you can use any combo of berries or fruits you'd like. Throw in some spices to be saucy if you wish! Ginger and blackberries or even rosemary and blackberries would make a mighty fine combo (not my dog Ginger, but the spice hahaha)


2) make sure you take the jam off the heat before you stir in the chia seeds. The wonderful, magical chia seeds will do the thickening for you as your jam cools. No pectin or boiling jars required!!
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After sitting for just about 5 minutes to allow the mixture to cool, I just spooned it onto my yogurt for a fun, refreshing, mostly homemade snack!!

What jam combo could you come up with using this simple go to recipe? I know there's plenty out there, so let's brainstorm some ideas.

Hmmm, I wanna do something with figs....that's my next not so secret project!! Any suggestions as to what goes well with fig? I thought of caramelized onions for a savory combo....but what about a sweet one??

Happy Friday....may it be jammin' ;)

Blackberry & Cherry Chia Jam

Yum

adapted from YumUniverse