Old=new again. Classic, easy rice pudding recipe with real food ingredients

Old=new again. Classic, easy rice pudding recipe with real food ingredients

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• 9.02.2014

I love when I can find recipes I remember from my childhood and adapt them so I can eat them again. My mom used to make rice pudding (two ways - this method, stovetop, and baked: the same ingredients but mixed together cold and baked so the top gets crispy), and I recently recreated her classic recipe with the "real food" basic ingredients we eat now (also dairy free).

I also did some Googling for a classic stovetop rice pudding recipe (looked at a couple of Martha's, of course) and while there are millions of ways to make it (most of them with approximately the same ingredient list) and I'm sure they're all delicious, some were easier than others. I'm a one-pan kind of cook for desserts, and some of them were way too involved for the quick make-it-while-also-making-dinner kind of recipe I was looking for. So I put together this easy version with great success. Pretty sure my mom used to make it in a pretty low-maintenance way, too.

I wasn't sure how it would turn out with almond or coconut milk instead of cow's milk, and sweetened with something other than white cane sugar, but it was great! I've made it twice now, lightly sweetened and with raisins on top just like I remember, and it's been the perfect post-workout treat.

The health nerd part (skip if you just want the recipe!)

I'm happy to say I've become able to eat rice again recently. We've been Paleo since Christmas 2012, and when we first made the switch and went completely grain-free, when I tried rice a few times I didn't have a good reaction. But recently I've tried again, and it seems the 1.5+ years of gut healing I've been doing on this nutrient-dense, low-inflammation, low-antinutrient diet has strengthened my digestive system so I now can eat some white rice every once in a while! (And yes, it's actually "healthier" and easier to digest to use white rice instead of brown - some quick articles about that on Holistic Squid here and on my husband's blog here.) I've also dramatically improved my thyroid function over the past year, so I'm not as worried about autoimmune response from the smaller amount of lectins in white rice.

So this recipe is great as a post-workout treat (carbs primarily from glucose rather than fructose, advisable in carb loading to restore muscle glycogen).

More rice info, if you're curious - 

• How "bad" or "not Paleo" is rice?
• More pros and cons of rice on a Paleo diet
• Non-gluten grains on a Paleo diet
• "Safe starches" and low-toxin grains

On to the recipe!

Classic Stovetop Rice Pudding - Real Food, Paleo-Friendly

Ingredients:

• 1 c. water
• 2 c. almond milk or coconut milk (divided)
• 1/2 c. rice, rinsed
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 c. maple syrup, honey, or other sweetener of choice
• 1/2 c. raisins (optional)
• 1-2 tbsp. butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Sprinkle of cinnamon on top

Instructions:

1. Put water, 1 cup almond or coconut milk, and rice into small saucepan. Bring to an almost-boil then turn down to low and cover; cook for about 15 minutes. Uncover and increase heat to medium to allow some of the moisture to evaporate.
2. Add salt, sweetener of choice, raisins, and butter. Stir.
3. Mix remaining 1 cup almond or coconut milk with egg and whisk. Turn heat in saucepan back to low and slowly add the egg/milk blend to the pan and stir. Cook for another 3 or so minutes while pudding thickens.
4. Turn off heat and stir in vanilla. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
5. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve!

So satisfying and comforting, without being overly sweet or complicated. It even impressed my wary-of-new-things husband. He's also not a big fan of raisins but he loved this pudding and requested it again!

Hope you enjoy, too!