When we decided to go sugar free, I thought we had to kiss jam goodbye!!
No more jam on toast, no more sticky sweet fruit confection to put ontop of our homemade yoghurt!
That was until we started playing around with chia seeds, the little gems of goodness are not only super good for you, but they also work as a thickening agent so you can make 100% fruit jam without any SUGAR!!
100% pure fruit jam with no hidden nasties, no preservatives, thickening agents, flavour enhances, just 100% pure goodness and with the addition of Chia seeds you could almost call your jam a Super Food……..Almost.
This jam is seriously good. The apple base makes it nice & sweet, the raspberries add gorgeous zesty flavour, the lemon gives it a tiny bit of bite & the mint gives the jam an extra fresh zing.
You will find yourself eating it straight from the jar….
Sugar Free Raspberry, Apple & Chia Seed Jam a’la Mama Going Natural
You will need:
- 300gm Apples (aprox 6 medium apples)
- 250gm Raspberries
- 1 t lemon rind
- 1/2 c water
- 1 stick stevia
- 1 T agave syrup
- 2 – 3 sprigs mint
- 1 t vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 T Chia Seeds
Peel & core your apples. Place the apples in a saucepan with the raspberries, lemon rind & water & cook over a low heat until the apples start to fall apart & are well cooked. Take the saucepan off the heat & add the washed mint leaves & blitz it in a food processor or with a stick blender. Once your apples & raspberry mix is smooth, add all the other ingredients & return to the saucepan to simmer slowly for another five minutes. Pour into your jars & leave on the bench to cool as the Chia seeds can take several hours to a day to swell & create the jelly consistency of your jam.
This jam not only tastes great, but with the addition of the Chia Seeds, I think its almost a Super Food!!
Whats so Great about Chia Seeds?
- Chia seeds are gluten free
- Super high in dietary fibre, making it great for digestion and healing digestion issues.
- They contain 20% Omega 3 ALA, making it a super food for the brain and heart. Chia has eight times more Omega 3 than salmon!
- They are 20% protein
- The protein is a complete protein with all 8 essential amino acids
- They are high in antioxidants (It has a four times higher ORAC value than blueberries)
- They contain five times more calcium than milk
- They contain seven times more vitamin C than oranges
- They contain three times more iron than spinach
- They have twice the potassium content of banana
- They have a positive impact balancing blood glucose levels (making it awesome for diabetics)
So what are you waiting for, get a pot on the stove & get making your very own Superfood Jam
This sounds lovely but I am concerned about the agave syrup. It appears that agave syrup is as bad as high fructose corn syrup and not the health food it’s touted to be. If it’s there to add sweetness do you think if I used maple syrup or honey instead it would work? Otherwise this is on the list to try. In moderation though given the high energy red bull like effect chia seeds have n my kids. 😉
I have the same concerns! Just trying to find a recipe with the least amount of sweetener. Let me know if you tried it out!
You can substitute the agave for whichever sweetener you prefer. I mostly just use stevia but did experiment with a bottle of agave syrup, hence it’s use in this recipe
Here’s another question. Could I can this? I am wanting to make it shelf stable, but hate to add all the sugar that normal canned jams add. What are your thoughts?
You could try canning the jam, but I have to admit I have never tried it!