In search of the best and easiest chia pudding for breakfast – creamy but not too stiff, slightly sweet but not overly flavored (first thing in the morning my tastebuds want to be woken slowly) – I found several ratios:

• 3 tablespoons chia to 1 cup coconut milk
• 4 tablespoons chia to 1 cup coconut milk

but I need more than that for four people – so I came across this:

• 1/3 cup (which is 5.3333 tablespoons) chia to 1 1/2 cup coconut milk

But canned coconut milk is too thick and stiff – making your own so it is thinner and light but creamy, is better. The Mark Bittman ratio is 1 cup coconut shreds to 2 cups filtered water. Heat the water to almost boiling, pour it over the flaked/shredded unsweetened coconut, let it sit for 5-10 minutes to cool, and blend. Then strain, pressing lightly, and use the resulting milk.

Add 1/2 cup of chia seeds to the coconut milk, stir well, and let sit overnight (you can refrigerate but don’t have to). Then all you need is salt, maple, and vanilla extract. Add berries or fresh mango or cinnamon and you’re good to go!

This serves four, 1/2 cup each.