Raw raspberry & chia seed jam

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    Last summer, I had seen a few pictures of raw jams with summer fruit, it seemed nice but I didn't pay more attention. And the publishing day of the Foodista Challenge approaching I thought again about these raw jams and thought it was the occasion to try as the red fruit season has just begun in France!

   The Foodista Challenge is one of the food challenges I take part to when I can and when the theme is interesting, this month's theme was the raw cuisine and we had to add an object describing ourself in on the pictures. I've always been an eternal indecisive so I chose several ones describing what I like such as reading, movies, cooking, pretty cutlery and dishes, riding a motorcycle, English, traveling, tea, art crafts, nature, animals...

   Going back to the recipe, I chose raspberries because this is one of my favorite jams and I think that this is one of the most adapted fruit to this kind of raw preparations. If you have never heard about raw jams, you should really give them a try, they are a lot more healthier than traditional ones but as delicious!

   The interest of raw jams is, first, about dietetics as I only used 3 tbsp of coconut sugar for 250 g (2,5 cups or 8,8 oz) of fruit! There are different way of preparing a raw jam but I chose to use chia seeds as gelling agent - as the fruit is not cooked, a simple fruit purée would not give the right consistency for a jam - and this superfood is also rich in omega-3, omega-6 and antioxidants. To know more about the healthy benefits of chia seeds, you can read this very interesting article here. 

   Finally, you may know that raw cuisine is more nutritious because the enzymes are "living" compared to cooked food that gives us less vitamins and from which the nutrients are altered... And I see some of you coming, so no, a being cooked carrot is not suffering, it doesn't have a conscious or a soul... You know, this is one of the omnivorous favorite joke about vegetarians ;-)

   Anyway, this raw jam has a triple nutritious interest but is also ready in only 5 minutes and if you prepare during summer, you'll be happy to not have to turn on the stove.

   For this recipe, I used coconut sugar because it is not refined and has a low glycemic index but you can of course use any other sugar such as non-refined blond cane sugar, agave syrup, honey (for a non vegan version thus) or your favorite sugar. The good thing with ram jams is that you can still modify it afterwards and add more sugar if you want, something you cannot do with traditional cooked jams once they're in pot. Do not hesitate to add you personal touch such as vanilla, citrus fruit zest and anything else you like.

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Raw raspberry & chia seed jam


Prep time : 5 minutes
No cook time
Serving : a jar of 340 g (12 oz)



- 250 g (2,5 cups or 8,8 oz)  frozen or fresh raspberries
- 4 tsp coconut sugar (or other sugar)
- 2 to 3 tbsp chia seeds (according to the consistency you prefer)

• If you're using frozen raspberries, unfreeze them lied on a flat plate/dish a whole night in the fridge.
  
   
• Pour them in a soup plate, sprinkle sugar and crush them with a fork, letting or not some pieces of fruit.
  
   
• Sprinkle chia seeds, slightly mix and pour the jam in a jar, mix well with the fork so that the chia seeds go everywhere because they will blow up thanks to the raspberries juice and give this jelly aspect.
  
   
• Put in the fridge for at least 30 min to one hour before enjoying it! You can keep it in the fridge for a few days but I'm sure this yummy healthy jam won't last very long as you can enjoy it at any time of the day, spread on toasts, brioche, in a yogourt, pancakes and more!

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