For Christmas, I got my sister-in-law the highly praised, bestselling Oh She Glows cookbook by Angela Liddon. Indigo is calling it one of the best books of 2014! And the book deserves all the praise it has received and more. I should probably mention that it is a vegan cookbook, but the book is filled with recipes that are sure to satisfy even the pickiest of your omnivorous dinner guests. I was even more excited after finding out Angela Liddon is Canadian! Besides supporting some locally grown talent (unless that locally grown talent is Nickelback or Hedley), it also means the ingredients should be easy to attain. I’ve already heard great things about the chickpea salad and was told to ‘flip to page 81!' by another customer purchasing the same book. I’m so excited to give the recipes a go. Ya’ll gotta try this cookbook!

The first recipe I tried was literally the first recipe in the book and the one featured on the cover:

Talk about expectations vs. reality. The picture on the book looks so much more appetizing! Or maybe it’s just cause the book cover has granola and granola makes everything better. I actually stopped at the grocery store for granola but got insanely distracted by all the discounted chocolate in the holiday clearance section. But the chia pudding was still delicious! It was also super easy to prepare. You just mix ingredients together, pop it in the fridge, and wake up the next morning with a super healthy breakfast waiting for you. I’d say it’s kinda like a hybrid between a yogurt and cold oatmeal. I was a little nervous to try this as I’m not a fan of oatmeal and I’ve never eaten chia seeds by the spoonful like this… but the pudding was a very refreshing and a satisfying change from the holiday crap I just can’t stop eating.

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Recipe

Mix the mashed banana, oats, chia seeds, cinnamon and milk in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight to thicken.

The next morning, stir the mixture to combine. Serve the oats in a glass or jar, alternating layers of fresh fruit and granola. Drizzle with maple syrup if desired.

Enjoy!