Living in Boston this winter was trying at best. Most days I could be found huddled under a blanket writing/editing my debut cookbook with the pup cuddled at my feet or in the kitchen in front of the hot stove working on a new recipe.
Needless to say the warm weather that has graced Boston over the last few weeks has been a welcome change from the frigid temperatures and looming snowbanks. As the sun begins to shine a little longer and the temperatures rise, my love for this city is slowly being restored.
Wandering the city with J and the pup is one of my favorite things to do in Boston during the warmer months. Our Saturday morning stroll through the South End is especially special because we get to stop in to our favorite shops, including Farm and Fable – a sunny little shop filled with vintage cookbooks and kitchenwares, new heirloom-quality kitchen goods and a full kitchen classroom. This place is my heaven.
During our trip in last weekend I spotted a beautiful hard cover cookbook by one of my favorite bloggers Sarah Britton of My New Roots. I have been a loyal follower and fan of Sarah’s plant based recipes for quite some time. Although she does not follow a paleo diet, she focuses on eating fresh, local, whole foods and I can get on board with that! After flipping through her book at the shop, I new this was one I had to add to my collection.
Fast forward 4 hours and I had not only read the book cover to cover but I had marked nearly every page with a flag for a must make recipe. The next morning I pulled out my cookbook stand, rolled up my sleeve and set off to whip up my first recipe from the book. Now, I’m sharing it with you!
This Strawberry Chia Jam is full of bright flavors that scream spring, not to mention it is basically fool proof. Spread it across the Good Morning Mug Biscuits from Paleo in 28 for a simple, yet luxurious breakfast!
Be sure to check back soon for a full review of My New Roots.
- 1 pound ripe strawberries
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or raw honey
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out and reserved
- pinch of fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- Wash and cut the tops off the strawberries. Put the berries in a food processor (or blender), add the maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla bean seeds and salt, and blend on the highest setting until smooth.
- With the food processor running, slowly pour in the chia seeds and process until fully incorporated, 5 to 10 seconds.
- Scrape the jam into a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, and store it in the refrigerator until gelled, 15 to 20 minutes. You can keep the leftovers in the fridge for up to 1 week.