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Chia Bia chilli beef
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Christmas Canapé Recipes by Chia Bia & Nessa Robins

Take your pick from Roasted Red Pepper & Chia Bia Seed Hummus & Crudités, Sausage Chia Bia Rolls or Lettuce Cups with Chilli Chia Bia Beef Stir Fry, or make all three of these tasty canapé ideas created by food writer and blogger Nessa Robbins for Chia Bia.

Chia Bia hummus

Roasted Red Pepper & Chia Bia Seed Hummus & Crudités

Chickpeas are rich in protein, which helps to keep you feeling fuller for longer. The addition of the Chia Bia to the hummus will help to thicken the hummus, but they also give an additional nutritional boost as they are packed full of omega 3, fibre, antioxidants and minerals. The roasted red pepper, along with the sprinkling of a little sugar, adds a sweetness, which perfectly balances the bitter lemon. Some crudités made from carrots, radishes, red pepper, tomatoes or kale work very nicely as a healthy accompaniment to the hummus.

Ingredients:

Hummus
– 1 red pepper
– 1 tsp olive oil
– 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
– 1 tbsp Chia Bia seeds
– 2 cloves garlic, crushed
– Juice of 1 lemon
– 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
– 1 tsp sugar
– 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
– 1/4 tsp cumin
– 1/4 tsp salt
– twist of black pepper

Crudités
– Carrot, radishes, red pepper, tomatoes, kale, washed, peeled and cut into ready-to-eat slices.

Method:

1. First roast the pepper. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas mark 6.
2. Cut the pepper in half, remove the seeds and place cut side down on a baking tray. Rub each side with a drop of olive oil. Place in the oven for about 30 minutes, until the skin is wrinkled and slightly charred. Let the pepper cool slightly, then pop into a bowl and cover tightly with cling film. This will help the skin to lift. After 2 minutes, take from the bowl and careful peel away the skin and discard it. The pepper can be used straightaway, or pop it into the fridge for use later.
3. Place all the ingredients for the hummus into a mini chopper or a food processor. Blitz until smooth.
4. To serve, place in a bowl or a transportable container and sprinkle over a few more Chia Bia seeds. Serve alongside some crudités and breadsticks.

Chia Bia sausage chia rolls

Sausage Chia Bia Rolls

Buttery pastry encasing a good-quality sausage will always result in something tasty, and who doesn’t love a good sausage roll? To ensure the sausages are cooked thoroughly, I always first boil them before rolling in the pastry. Chia Bia seeds added to the pastry make these rolls a little more nutritious, and makes them look even more irresistible. These sausage Chia Bia rolls are suitable for any occasion, but to make a picnic extra special wrap them in parchment and add them to your picnic basket.

Ingredients:

– 8 regular sized, good-quality sausages
– 1 tsp Chia Bia seeds
– 1 tbsp flour
– 1 sheet of ready-made puff pastry
– 2 tbsp tomato relish
– 1 free-range egg, lightly beaten

Method:

1. Place the sausages in a medium sized saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the saucepan and place on a plate, to cool slightly.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas mark 6.
3. Combine 1 tsp of Chia Bia seeds with 1 tbsp of flour. Dust most of it over the countertop. Place the sheet of pastry on top, dust the top of the pastry with the remaining Chia Bia and flour mix. roll the pastry out carefully, using a rolling pin.
4. Cover the pastry with a thin layer of tomato relish.
5. Cut the sheet of pastry into 8 even sized pieces.
6. Place a sausage on the edge of each piece of pastry and roll to cover.
7. Lightly brush each roll with a little beaten egg.
8. Place on a lightly floured baking tray and bake in the pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and risen. Serve hot or cold, with a dip of your choice. Do not reheat.

Chia Bia chilli beef

Lettuce Cups with Chilli Chia Bia Beef Stir Fry

For this dish, ideally marinade the meat overnight, as the texture and flavour of the beef benefits from the additional time in the marinade. Before your guest arrive, have the lettuce, scallions and red chilli prepared. These cups will only take moments to assemble, once the meat is cooked.

Ingredients:

Marinade
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp soy sauce
2tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp soft brown sugar

Stir-Fry
250g fillet beef steak
1tbsp olive oil
4 scallions, finely sliced
2 gem lettuces

To Serve
1 tbsp whole Chia Bia seeds
2 scallions, finely sliced
1 red chilli, finely sliced

Method:

1. Place the chilli, garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar into a large bowl. Stir together and add the strips of beef. Stir well to combine. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge to marinade for at lest 4 hours, or overnight.
2. Add the olive oil to a wok and place over a high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the marinaded beef and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes.
3. Add the scallions and season with a little salt and pepper and continue to cook for another minute.
4. Place the lettuce leaves on a plate and fill each one with the stir fried beef and scallion. Sprinkle over the Chia Bia seeds, the remaining slices of scallions, and, for those that like things spicy, some finely sliced red chilli. 5. Alternatively, serve the sliced fresh chilli and scallions in a little bowl alongside the cups, for your guests to garnish as they like.

RECIPE BY NESSA ROBINS FOR CHIA BIA

Nessa Robbins Chia Bia, Ireland’s leading Chia producers, are thrilled to be working with food writer  and  blogger Nessa Robins of Nessa’s  Family Kitchen. Nessa’s recipes have been  featured in the  national newspapers and magazines,  as well as many on-line sites,  including EUMOM,  Avonmore.ie, RTE food and The Irish Times  to name a  few! Having worked as a nurse for  many years, her experience in the health sector  has  impacted on her approach to food and has  greatly influenced her recipes and how she  feeds  her own family. Nessa is the ‘Family Food  Expert’ with Irish parenting magazine,  Easy  Parenting and has a ‘Home Nurse Column’ with The Farmer’s Journal – Irish  Country Living, combining her training as a nurse with her passion for food. For more  information on Nessa visit nessasfamilykitchen.blogspot.ie.

To find out more about Chia Bia go to www.chiabia.com, or follow them on Twitter   and Facebook.

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