Here is a Zincalicious recipe to start off your day in an immune-modulating way. The sesame seeds, chia seeds, chocolate and/or carob provide zinc along with many other minerals, notably magnesium and calcium. The carob contains less zinc than the cacao but without the phytic acid of the cacao beans so you can decide for yourself what sort of alchemy you would like to create here. If you would like your porridge to be very low glycemic please skip the orange juice making step, replace it with water and focus on using the essential oils and the orange zest and perhaps the orange pieces instead.

This recipe requires soaking sesame seeds the morning before you want your porridge to make sesame milk

This recipe requires juicing oranges manually or in a juicer

Serves two

Prep Ahead: This recipe requires five minutes of prep the morning and five minutes the night before but is the best!

Chocolate Orange Chia Porridge

Ingredients

-1 1/2 C freshly squeezed orange juice
-1/2 C sesame seeds
-1/3 C chia seeds
-3 T cacao (can use carob or a combination here and use less if you are not using the oats)
-1/2 t cinnamon
-1/2 t vanilla powder (if you do not have powdered vanilla bean you can substitute 1 t vanilla extract of your choice or 6 drops medicine flower flavour oil)
-1-4 drops stevia or 1 t sweetener of choice, to taste
-Pinch of Himalayan salt
-Orange pieces for topping if desired
-Orange zest for garnish

*optional 3-5 drops orange or tangerine essential oil

*topping concepts:
soaked goji berries and strawberries
cacao nibs and shredded coconut
soaked dried apricot
mango and chilli
homemade probiotic yogurt
soaked pumpkin seeds for more zinciness

Instructions

The day before:
Soak sesame seeds in filtered water

The evening before:
Zest your orange so that you have 1 T zest roughly as a garnish (save covered in the fridge)

Juice oranges to make up to 1.5 C of orange juice. If you end up with less you can top off with water to reach 1.5 C total

Make orange sesame nut milk by blending the 1/2 C sesame seeds with 1.5 C orange juice/water. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, this should be a fairly thick orange nut cream. If it does curdle a bit that is ok we will be blending it later

Soak 1/4 C chia in the sesame orange milk in the fridge overnight

*Quick and dirty nut milk option:
Forgot to soak your sesame? Just make it anyway or use 3 T raw tahini in place of the sesame seeds, no need to strain

In the morning:
Blend the orange sesame milk and chia lightly (or pulse) with vanilla, cacao, cinnamon, Himalayan salt and essential oils if using.

Taste for sweetness and adjust.

Serve topped with your favourite fruits or spices and garnished with orange zest and a sprinkling of cacao.