Pickle-Pineapple Hummus

I finished a jar of pickles at lunch today.  I didn't want to just throw away all that pickle juice...so I came up with something to throw it in. There is still some leftover though, I'll have to think of something else crazy to use up the rest of it.

Pickle-Pineapple Hummus

3/4 c chick peas

1/4 c pickle juice

4 large spoonfuls crushed pineapple

garlic powder to taste

2 tbsp chia seeds

Put the first 4 ingredients in a food processor and blend together.

Transfer to a bowl, add the chia seeds.  (They will soak up the extra liquid)

Fruity Chicken Salad III

Place two B/S chicken breasts in the bottom of a saucepan.  Sprinkle them with garlic powder and turmeric.  Throw some fresh basil leaves on top.  Add 1/2 c pumpkin beer, and fill the pot with water.  Put on the stove with medium heat.  When it boils, reduce the temperature, cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes.  Then remove the pot from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 20 minutes.  Then remove the chicken from the pot and shred it.

Mix the shredded chicken with mayonnaise, 2 spoonfuls of Basil-Cashew Pesto, 2 tbsp chia seeds, 1/2 c chopped sprite melon, , and a handful of dried cherries.

Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are a "super food,"  one of those foods that is ridiculously healthy for you.  1/4 c of these tiny little seeds provides 25% DV calcium, and they are a better source of Omega-3 than salmon.  They can be easily added to all sorts of dishes.  Since they are so small, you can mix them into things and not even notice them there.  

I tried them for the first time tonight, and just mixed them into my salad.  It was rather too much chia seed and not enough salad, but I believe I can make them more appealing if I find something else to mix them into, or simply add less seeds to a salad of that size.  They absorb 10 times their weight in water, so they get rather gelatinous when you chew them up.  It's quite an odd feeling.  I think they would be better off getting mixed into yogurt or a smoothie.  

I had some delicious pasta and meatballs with my chia salad.