Quinoa Chia Seed Pudding, 3 Ways
Earl Grey, Matcha, and Tiramisu + a Gut-Brain Recap
Hello, everyone. I am exploring the west coast of Sardinia this week as I patiently wait for the next brain health retreat guests to arrive. This trip is full of people I have gotten to know through the pages of this newsletter. There’s truly nothing I love more than meeting BHK subscribers in real life!
If you’d like to join me on my next trip to Italy, I will be bringing another group of brain health enthusiasts to Sardinia in October 2025.
If you’ve ever wanted to eat tiramisu for breakfast, today’s recipe is for you.
Before I left on my trip, my kitchen had turned into a chia seed pudding factory. It was fortuitous that I had a lot of friends and family staying with me over the Easter holiday. I put them to work as tasters and we ate chia seed pudding every day. All the testing and tasting was worth it because I landed on three favorites: matcha, tiramisu, and earl grey. Find the recipe, below.
Recap of the Gut-Brain-Axis Mini-Series
From the brain to the gut and back again, we covered a lot of key information in our recent mini-series. It was fun to give away two books to BHK subscribers: Genius Gut by
and Help Yourself by . You were most intrigued by this post about how the gut microbiota recycle estrogen. And you really loved this recipe for One-Bowl Breakfast Cookies, which already ranks as the fifth most popular recipe on my site!Did you make the Breakfast Cookies? Please share any variations you came up with.
To catch up on the mini-series start here for the first installmant, and don’t miss
‘s guest post about probiotics here.In other news, I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Jane Rogers of the Cutting Edge Health podcast.
If you haven’t yet discovered Jane Rogers’ podcast Cutting Edge Health, please do check it out. We covered a wide range of topics: how I pivoted from working as an ob/gyn physician to starting Brain Health Kitchen; how the MIND and Mediterranean diet studies helped shape my food guidelines; the specific changes I made to my mom’s diet when she was diagnosed with dementia; and how to share information about brain health with young adults Watch or listen to the podcast here. I’d love to hear your thoughts, and please let me know if you have any questions.
Without further ado, please enjoy the recipe.
3 New Spins on Chia Seed Pudding
Up until now, I’ve been kind of “meh” about chia seed puddings, most of which I find to be cloyingly sweet. With this trio of recipes, I fixed that by using flavorful extracts and a small amount of maple syrup for a just-right sweetness.
Chia seeds are already a brain health superstar ingredient. They are rich in protein, insoluble fiber, plant-based omega-3 fats, magnesium, and some of the same flavonoids found in coffee (chlorogenic acid, quercetin, kaempferol). Not only that, chia seeds are on my list of top 10 calcium-rich brain healthy foods.
Milk is the usual vehicle used to plump the seeds into a pudding. Here, I am adding even more polyphenols by adding matcha, filtered coffee, or tea along with the milk. Quinoa gives the pudding a substantial texture, and is on my list of top 10 protein-rich brain healthy foods.
Cook your quinoa like pasta
Instead of steaming quinoa, I boil it like pasta. It’s faster because it skips a few steps (rinsing the quinoa, measuring the water) and it comes out perfect every time.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add ½ cup quinoa and cook until tender (you’ll notice a tiny tail form on each grain when it’s done), 12 to 15 minutes. Drain in a fine mesh sieve and return to the warm pan. Cover and steam for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
RECIPE: Quinoa Chia Seed Pudding, 3 Ways
Earl Grey, Matcha, and Tiramisu
