Cherry Jam, Cereal & Water
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Ingredients
For the Cherry Jam:
  • 2 c Cherries, pitted
  • 1 Tbsp Lemon juice (& some zest)
  • ⅛ tsp Vanilla Bean powder (vanilla pods, ground whole, available at specialty stores)
  • 1½ tsp Chia Seeds
For the Cherry Cereal:
  • 4 c Cherries, pitted and dried (36 hours at 115*F in a dehydrator, or a few hours in a low convection oven)
  • 1 c Chia Seeds
  • 1 c Hemp Hearts
  • 1 c Buckwheat Groats (NOT Kasha, its toasted, darker brown version) (gluten-free, despite its deceiving name)
  • ½ tsp Vanilla Bean powder
For the Cherry Water:
  • 3-6 Cherries, Pitted
  • 2 c Water
Instructions
For the Cherry Jam
  1. Mash half of the pitted cherries with a potato masher and mic in the chia seeds.
  2. Roughly blend (not too smooth) the other half using a hand blender, blender or food processor.
  3. Add the puree back into the mashed half of the cherries and chia, and mix well.
  4. The chia takes 15 minutes or so to thicken.
  5. This will keep covered, in the fridge for 3-4 days.
  6. Top off your steel-cut oatmeal or quinoa porridge, or spread on a seed cracker with your favourite nut or seed butter. A spoon works too...
For the Cherry Cereal:
  1. Pit, halve and dehydrate the cherries (however you dry them, dehydrator or oven, make sure they get chewy and bendy-dry. If they aren't dry enough, they could get moldy)
  2. Mix with the rest of the ingredients.
  3. This keeps covered, in the fridge for a month. It freezes well too.
For the Cherry Water:
  1. In a blender, blend together the pitted cherries and water until well blended, and there are no visible 'bits' left.
  2. Replace a cup of ice for a cup of water if you want it cooler (in hotter months).
Recipe by The Crushing Cancer Kitchen at http://thecrushingcancerkitchen.com/condiment/cherry-season-3-ways/