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I have many childhood memories of eating rice pudding. It seemed every time I went to my grandparents home they would make a special batch just for me. Between eating rice pudding and climbing in the plum trees all I must have done when I was there was eat. But that’s what grandparents are for, right?
Yesterday all I could think about was my grandmother’s rice pudding, but I knew there had to be a healthier way to prepare it. Thankfully I always have quinoa on hand. You can buy it in bulk at health food store, like Whole Foods, or even at Costco. Quinoa, unlike rice, is high in protein, fiber, and is the only grain with all nine amino acids. Recently I read about how eating quinoa can help those who suffer from migraines. It is a good source of magnesium and riboflavin, both linked to being able to reduce migraines. All the other ingredients are staples in my house. So away I went with quinoa, coconut milk, coconut creamer, raisins, brown sugar, dates.
What we ended up with was a sweet, creamy, and nutty flavored quinoa pudding. It was delicious! It was a proud moment for me in the kitchen. I am not a chef; in fact just about a decade ago I started cooking. I shouldn’t tell you all this but one of the first meals I made was a total failure. Spaghetti, what Italian girl can’t make spaghetti? Well, I found a way to ruin it by burning the pasta. I didn’t add enough water and I ended up with pasta burned to the pot. Yuck! After that on went the food channel and I started learning. So trust me, if I can make these recipes you can too.
As soon as I started cooking I wanted to learn all about food and it’s nutritional benefits. I believe we can cure so much illness with food. The more I read the more I see how it can give us a better quality of life. It does not take fancy ingredients to make us healthy. Some fresh fruits and vegetables, the right grains, and some simple recipes will make all difference. Hope you enjoy this quinoa pudding and Happy Free Friday! This meal is vegan and gluten-free.
One of my favorite things to eat and drink from is the great white cappuccino mug from Pottery Barn. It’s the perfect portion size for soup, dessert, or cappuccinos and hot chocolate. And the little handle makes it easy to pick up the bowl and bring whatever yummy concoction you are enjoying closer to you.
| Quinoa Pudding |
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed well
- 1 1/2 cups coconut milk (vanilla coconut milk would work well too)
- 2 tbsp coconut creamer
- dash of salt
- 5 pitted dates
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 raisins
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Add water and quinoa to pot and bring to boil, reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until quinoa is cooked. About 12 minutes.
- While it’s cooking add milk, creamer, salt, and pitted dates to a blender. Blend until smooth.
- When the quinoa is cooked add the milk mixture and cook over a medium heat until it thickens. About 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add raisins, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla.
- Let it sit for 10 minutes to cool and so raisins can soak up some of the milk.
- Serve warm. I like a little slice of butter on top of mine. You could also add a little more creamer.
Any milk or creamer would work well. I used vanilla coconut milk because it is sweet but still has less sugar than dairy milk. If you use dairy milk, I would not use skim, use either whole milk or 2%.
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