Brown Rice Breakfast Pudding

Short grain brown rice cooked slowly in almond milk sweetened with a touch brown sugar and infused with vanilla and cinnamon is my new favorite breakfast.  Top with some toasted nuts for a little crunch, and a spoonful of jam or a drizzle of maple syrup for some extra sweetness, and you have yourself a real treat.

I discovered this recipe on Epicurious while searching for alternatives to my usual morning oatmeal.  I must admit, I was dubious when I first read the proportions of liquid to rice listed in the recipe, but I tried it anyway, and boy am I ever glad I did.  The texture is so creamy, with a subtle nutty flavour complimented by the addition of vanilla and spice.  You'd swear this was meant to be dessert, not a porridge, as the original recipe states. I just can't bring myself to call this this dish porridge, it bears no resemblance to any porridge I've ever tasted.  So, I'm calling it breakfast rice pudding.  I substituted brown sugar for white sugar, and I added some cinnamon, but other than that, I didn't tinker much with the original recipe.

• 4 cups unsweetened natural almond milk
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup short grain brown rice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split
• 1 inch piece of cinnamon stick
• Pinch of salt

Put everything into a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.  Once the mixture comes to boil, reduce heat to low and continue to cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 60-70 minutes.  The mixture will seem very liquidy until the last 10-15 minutes of the cooking time, at which point it will really start to thicken up.  Serve the rice pudding topped with a spoonful of jam or marmalade, and a generous sprinkling of something crunchy like toasted nuts or coconut.

Suggested Toppings:

• coarsely chopped toasted nuts
• Toasted coconut flakes
• your favourite jam or marmalade
• a drizzle of maple syrup- try Pure Infused maple syrup for extra pizazz

To reheat, add a tablespoon or two of almond milk to loosen up the mixture and warm over medium heat for a minute or two, until heated through.

You can substitute whole milk for the almond milk, for even creamier results.