A picnic in the garden with 3 delicious spreads

Blackberry chia jam

Ingredients:

• 250 gr (1 ¾ cups) blackberries
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp maple sirup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or pulp of 1 vanilla bean
• 2-2 1/2 Tbsp chia seeds

Method:

Put the blackberries, lemon juice, maple sirup and vanilla extract into a pot and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Mash the berries with a fork. Let it cool off and add the chia seeds. Let it thicken for approx. 10 minutes and add some more chia seeds if necessary, until you achieve the desired consistency. Pour the jam into a glass and store it in the fridge.

I love jam with chia seeds – so easy, fresh and hardly any sugar, and the taste is heavenly. Obviously this jam/spread doesn’t last as long as preserved jam, approx. 1 week if refrigerated, but in our house it’s usually gone before then. And then I like to make another fresh version with a different fruit, whatever I have available at the time.

Apricot almond cream cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe apricot
• 50 gr (1/3 cup) dried apricots
• 50 gr (1/3 cup) almonds
• 150 gr (5.5 oz.) cream cheese (vegan)
• 2 Tbsp coconut yogurt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp maple sirup
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Method:

Shortly roast the almonds in an oil-free pan, let them cool off and then roughly chop them. Stone the fresh apricot and slice the dried ones. Put all ingredients into a mixer/food processor and mix until it becomes a homogenous mass that can still contain some pieces.

This apricot almond cream cheese tastes so yummy with bread in combination with fresh fruits but also with blackberry jam. The sweetness of the dried apricots is enough for this spread, but if you like you can add some more maple syrup to it.

Vegetable cream cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 carrot
• 1 small cucumber (or 1/2 a large one)
• 4-5 small radish
• 2 Tbsp fresh cress
• 1 spring onion
• 150 gr (5.5 oz.) cream cheese (vegan)
• 2 Tbsp mayonnaise (vegan)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• additional fresh herbs of your choice
• Salt
• Pepper

Method:

Wash and finely chop the vegetables. Remove the cucumber seeds (so it doesn’t turn out to watery). Put all ingredients into a mixer/food processor and mix until it becomes a homogenous mass that can still contain some pieces.

This spread tastes fresh and delicious, just simply add your favorite herbs to it if you like. But also without the herbs it’s tasty and goes along well with bread, fresh cucumbers, carrots and tomatoes.