Brown Rice Pudding

It was my turn to bring dessert last Wednesday.  Our crew is striving to be a little more gluten-aware and I wanted to make a dessert being mindful of that.  You would think that this would pose quite a conundrum – not at all because one of the tastiest, most satisfying and comforting desserts EVER has always been gluten free…Rice Pudding. 

I looked through my book collection for a recipe but nothing blew my skirt up so I borrowed a pretty little book from my Mom called Heart of the Home that included a Brown Rice Pudding recipe. 

Perhaps I've mentioned this before but I just can’t get cooking rice right and, to be honest, I avoid making rice, so I used Trader Joe’s microwavable brown rice. Do not underestimate the tastiness and time-saving advantages of some healthy, prepared foods….I look at it this way….there are some very nice and talented people at Trader Joes doing their jobs so that I have more time to make the foods I love when I return home from my day job.  It all works out and everyone is happy….a mutual facilitation society, of sorts.

I added a dash of cardamom and used 2% milk instead of whole milk but I think the recipe REALLY needs the whole milk. I didn’t have enough raisins so I used ½ cup of raisins and ½ cup of craisins.  I love craisins….I toss them in green salads, chicken salad along with walnuts, olive oil mayonnaise, and fresh cracked pepper and have even thrown them in a meatloaf to give the mixture a bit of a brighter note.

In addition to the dash of cardamom, the next time I make this I’ll make some other adjustments that I include below.

 

Brown Rice Pudding

From:  Heart of the Home by Susan Branch

Ingredients

3 eggs
2 cups of cook brown rice
3 ½ cups of whole milk (1/2 cup more my addition)
¼ cup of brown sugar
½ cup of raisins
½ cup of craisins
½ teaspoon of mixed cinnamon and nutmeg
Dash of cardamom (my addition)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract (my addition)

Preparation

Beat the eggs in a large bowl.  Add all the other ingredients and mix well.  Pour into an oiled casserole dish.  Bake at 325° for 50-60 minutes or until set.  Serve hot or cold topped with some yummy whipped cream.