All I have to say about this recipe is Oh My Gosh YUMMMMMMM! This parfait is decadent enough to be dessert yet healthy and filling enough to be breakfast! The banana chia soft serve is so sweet and creamy it is reminiscent of soft serve frozen yogurt and pairs perfectly with the crunchiness of granola! I know fall is among us and most of you are probably craving warm breakfasts like my pumpkin oatmeal so here is my suggestion for you: Eat this with a nice steaming hot cup of coffee or tea because you need to try this now! Cold weather be darned!
You might have noticed that I used chia seeds in a lot of my recipes. Chia seeds have more uses than just for chia pets! Chia seeds are very rich in Omega-3 fatty acids (even more so than flax seeds!) and are full of anti-oxidants! Chia seeds also provide fiber as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc. Talk about SUPERFOOD!
Chia seeds do this really cool thing when you put them in a liquid, they turn into gel. It is great for making puddings and soft-serve ice creams because it makes liquid very thick and gelatinous.
To make a basic chia gel:
1 cup liquid: water, juice, non-dairy milk
1-3 tablespoons chia seeds
Place the liquid and chia seeds in a container with a lid and shake to mix. Let sit 20 minutes to half an hour to thicken. The more chia seeds you use, the thicker the gel will be. This gel is now ready to be used in smoothies, in puddings, or drink it as is!
Banana-Chia Soft Serve and Granola Parfait
Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Can be Raw
Makes 2 Servings
1 cup almond milk (or other non-diary milk of choice)
2 tablespoons chia seeds
2 scoops Sunwarrior vanilla protein (optional but highly recommended!)
3-4 bananas, cut into pieces and frozen
Your favorite Granola (to keep it raw use raw granola!)
1. Add the almond milk, chia seeds, and protein powder (if using) to a blender and pulse a few times to mix. Let sit 20 minutes to overnight to allow the chia seeds to gel.
2. Blend in bananas, adding a few at a time, until you have a very thick and very creamy mixture (a Vita-mix or Blendtec work the best for this)
3. Use your favorite clear glass or bowl or wine glass and spoon about an inch thick layer of soft serve. Top with granola and repeat until you have used all the soft serve. Makes enough for two servings.
4. Drool, and then devour!
