Strawberry Chia Falooda Parfait

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This pretty layered dessert is inspired by the Persian dessert falooda. Made with delicious chia strawberry fruit spread, sweet vermicelli and simple rose flavored pudding, this lightened-up falooda parfait recipe is as easy as it is delicious!!

I don’t know about you, but I am always in the mood for dessert. “Dessert first and last” is my motto! When it comes to desserts, my favorite ones are those are easy to make, pretty to look at, and of course, delicious to eat. Even better if they can be lightened up in some way.

One of my favorite desserts is a throwback to my childhood in India, a layered parfait-like dessert called Falooda. Falooda can be made in several ways, depending on where it is from. But most often they are made up layers of thin vermicelli (called falooda sev), fruit syrups or jellies, fresh fruit, nuts, basil seeds, sweetened milk and ice cream. Needless to say, it is quite a mouthful and not to be indulged in on a regular basis. Even if I did want to indulge, I would find myself with neither gelatin nor ice cream.

And that’s where the star of this post comes in. Imagine my surprise when I found this gem at the grocery store. It’s fruit spread chock full of good-for-you chia seeds in it. The Welch’s Chia Strawberry Fruit Spread makes a great PB&J and also desserts, like I’m about to show you.

Look at that texture and all that chia! What a fun and effective way to include chia in your diet. Fun fact – each serving has more than 700 chia seeds in it!

I used this natural strawberry spread with added chia seeds instead of the fruit jelly and syrup needed in a falooda. I did not have ice cream as well, so I thickened up some milk to make a quick stovetop pudding. Once all the components were layered and allowed to set, I simply couldn’t get over how lovely this falooda inspired parfait looked!

Topped with a bit more of the strawberry spread and my favorite pistachios, this easy dessert was every bit delicious as it was colorful and pretty. Don’t you think it would make a lovely Valentine’s Day dessert?

The Welch’s Chia Strawberry Fruit Spread has become a fixture at our home and you too can find it at your local Walmart store along with peanut butter and jellies. It is non-GMO, has no artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors, preservatives or high fructose corn syrup. It is also available in concord grape flavor as you can see in the picture below.

It is really easy to make this layered dessert. Prep and assemble all the ingredients for the parfait recipe before you get started. Before assembling, you will also want to cook the vermicelli as per package instructions and heat milk with a bit of corn starch to thicken it for the pudding. And of course, we have our delicious fruit spread, fresh strawberries and nuts (I used pistachios).

Begin by adding some of the chia strawberry fruit spread in a glass. Then add some vermicelli followed by the strawberries. Top with the milk pudding. Allow to set in the refrigerator.

Just before serving, top with more fruit spread and add a sprinkling of chopped nuts.

And there you have it, a delicious and lightened up version of the falooda.

Strawberry Chia Falooda Parfait

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

This pretty layered dessert is inspired by the Persian dessert falooda. Made with delicious chia strawberry fruit spread, sweet vermicelli and simple rose flavored pudding, this lightened-up falooda parfait recipe is as easy as it is delicious!

Author: Anjana Devasahayam

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian, American

Serves: 3-6

You will need:

For the pudding,

• Milk - 2¼ cups
• Sugar - 3 tbsp
• Corn starch - 3 tbsp
• Rose water - 1 tsp (or substitute with vanilla extract)

For falooda parfait,

• Vermicelli - ½ cup, broken into small pieces
• Welch's Chia Strawberry Fruit Spread - 8 tbsp, divided
• Strawberries - 6-8, sliced
• Pistachios - 3 tsp, chopped

How to:

1. Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup milk. Heat the rest of the milk in a sauce pan. When you see bubbles appear at the sides, stir in the cornstarch slurry and sugar. Whisking constantly, bring to a boil, then simmer for 5-7 minutes till the pudding thickens. Stir in rose-water (or vanilla extract, if you don't have it). Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, prepare vermicelli as per package instructions. Drain and set aside in a bowl to cool slightly.
3. To layer a parfait, add 1 tbsp of fruit spread in a glass. Top with a heaped tbsp of vermicelli. Arrange strawberry slices around the periphery of the glass. Gently spoon in the milk pudding. Repeat for all servings.
4. Cool parfait in refrigerator for at least an hour till the pudding is of a soft-set consistency. Top with 1 tsp fruit spread and a sprinkling of pistachios before serving. This recipe yields 3 pint jar servings or 6 smaller servings.

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The Welch’s Chia Strawberry Fruits Spread is a great way to incorporate healthy chia seeds in your recipes. Now you can also look for a coupon for $2/off on these jars in store. Follow them on Facebook to be updated about news, recipes and more.

Do you have a favorite dessert that you crave very often? Do you ever think of lightening it up? Do try this strawberry chia parfait recipe and let me know how you like it.

Check out all my Valentine’s Day recipes in one place.

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I am sharing this over at Fiesta Friday & Saucy Saturday.