Dessert- Detox Style! Baked Cinnamon Pear with Coconut Chai Chia "Faux Caviar" Pudding

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

I am back from a long birthday weekend in New Orleans where I ate and drank everything and anything I wanted!  By the last day my stomach and liver were screaming "Why?  Why do you hate us?"

So now that the vacation is over, I am looking to detox my diet and bring in some fresh healthy food that is low in refined sugars, sodium and chemicals.  

But I still get dessert, right? Right?

I love dessert so any healthy eating plan has to include room for some dessert!

When my little sister was in college, I would send her gift boxes of Harry and David's pears.  So this year for my birthday, my sister sent me a Harry and David's gift basket.  Ohhh those juicy pears!  So delicious but so many pears for one person.  I decided to bake a pear sprinkled in cinnamon for dessert.  No sugar, no fatty crumble topping, no whipped cream, no ice cream ... sigh this healthy dessert is sounding kind of boring.

But no ... wait ... I definitely could jazz up this dessert without feeling too unhealthy.  One of my friends has been adding chia seeds - a seed in the mint family - to her food to promote better digestive health (due to its fiber content) and Omega-3 benefits.  

I have read articles online claiming chia seeds are also an appetite suppressant and can help you lose weight, but a 12 week study did not show that either claim is true.

However I'm always in for trying new food fads, so I thought I would try making "chia pudding" which next to Chia Pets seems to be the top use of chia seeds.

I love chai flavors so I wanted to give "chai chia" a try.  I whipped up a batch of chia seeds, chai spices and coconut milk and let it sit in the refrigerator for about 6 hours.  The result?  A creamy, rich, coconut and chai spice flavored topping that really went well with my baked pears.    

It was a very satisfying dessert without loads of guilt.  Plus it is SUPER EASY to make.  Try it yourself and let me know what you think!

Not the world's best food stylist but it tastes super yummy!

LilyOnTheLam's Baked Cinnamon Pears with Coconut Chai Chia "Faux Caviar" Pudding
(Four servings)

1/2 of a 14.5 ounce can of light coconut milk 
2 Tbsp. Chia seeds (I buy mine from Whole Foods)
1 dropperful of liquid Stevia (or 1-2 Tbsp. maple syrup, honey or agave nectar)
cardamom
nutmeg
cinnamon

2 pears (I used Comice Pears)
1/2 c. water


First: prepare the "Faux Caviar" Coconut Chai Chia Pudding.  Take 1 c. of light coconut milk (or approximately 1/2 of a 14.5 oz. can) and pour into a mixing bowl.  

Note:  You can substitute 1 c. of Blue Diamond Unsweetened Almond Breeze Almond & Coconut Milk Blend for the coconut milk- it will not be as rich tasting but will be lower in calories.  You may want to add 1/2 tsp. vanilla if using Almond Breeze.  

To the coconut milk, add 2 Tbsp. of chia seeds and whisk well.  The chia seeds will instantly begin to soak in the coconut milk and clump together.  Add 1 dropperful of liquid stevia, a dash of cardamom and a dash of nutmeg.  Add 2-3 dashes of cinnamon.  Whisk again well.  Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in refrigerator for at least two hours or even overnight.  You may wish to whisk the chia pudding every couple of hours to help the thickening process.  However this is not absolutely necessary.  Whisk the chia pudding again before serving.

After sitting in the refrigerator, the chia seeds will plump up and the coconut milk mixture will thicken.  The chai scent is intoxicating!  To me, the pudding looks like it is studded with tapioca pearls or caviar.  It may look somewhat odd, but it tastes ultra rich, creamy and delicious.

Second: Prepare the pears!

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice each pear into 8 slices length-wise.  (I keep the skin on, but you can peel them if you would like.)  In a glass baking pan, add 1/2 cup water and lay the sliced pears in a single layer.  Sprinkle cinnamon on top and bake for 20-35 minutes, until tender but not falling apart.

Place 4 slices of baked pear on four individual serving dishes and top with several spoonfuls of coconut chai chia pudding.  Serve, eat and enjoy!      

The warm pear will heat up the pudding, so if you'd rather preserve the cold and hot temperatures you could also serve the pudding in its own bowl next to the warm pear.

This dessert is like summer and autumn in a bowl - rich, creamy, thick coconut and chai flavors with the warm, luscious baked pear.  It's delicious!