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Maple Walnut Brown Rice “Pudding”
Kateryna Odyntsova
[donotprint]STRATEGY SESSION: Although dessert, by its nature, tends not to be particularly healthy, there's a spectrum, and it's possible to create desserts that are healthiER. Rice pudding is simply rice (usually white rice) in a custard. It normally contains heavy cream or a combination of whole milk and egg yolks. Large quantities of sugar are used-- often in sugar-to-rice ratios of 1:1. (In fact, I saw one recipe that contained sugar and rice in a 3:1 ratio!) In this recipe, I use brown rice, which is much higher than white rice in fiber and nutrients. My "custard" base comes from low-fat Greek yogurt instead of the traditional high-fat-high-cholesterol ingredients. I sweeten the pudding with maple syrup in a syrup-to-rice ratio of less than 1:2. Toasted walnuts contribute healthy fats. While I wouldn't recommend eating this dish often (for glycemic reasons), it is very low in total fat and saturated fat, and-- as desserts go-- fairly low in calories.
To kick off 2011, I wanted to present something NEW that conveyed a wish for good fortune-- and rice came to mind. Now, if you've followed this blog, you probably know that I generally don't do rice for reasons having to do with glycemic index and glycemic load. However, Trufflehead was created for developing cooks (such as my son) who want to eat healthfully but inhabit a less spartan food world. So, I included things that I wouldn't normally cook or eat, and rice--of any color-- is one of them.
Since brown rice is higher in fiber and nutrients than white, I decided to experiment with it, and I particularly liked the Arborio-like texture of the short grain variety. The inspiration for this dessert (which also makes a delicious breakfast or snack) came from Amie Valpone, author of The Healthy Apple blog. Amie is a Manhattan-based culinary marketing consultant who specializes in gluten-free and dairy-free nutrition. On a recent visit to her blog, I noticed that she used honey-sweetened Greek yogurt in place of high-fat custard in her Basmati Rice Pudding, and I decided to create a variation with short grain brown. The result was so satisfying that I plowed through 4 bags of brown rice (short, medium, long, and basmati) on my way to a series of dishes for Truffehead.
If you happen to have leftover brown rice in your fridge, this pudding is a great way to use it. Just substitute 3 cups cooked brown rice for the water and uncooked rice in the recipe. If you don’t have 3 cups, that’s fine; the pudding will simply be a little less dense. Also, you can eat it as soon as you make it, but the consistency is more pudding-y if you refrigerate it overnight.[/donotprint]
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Barbara Kemp
This sounds good and I’d like to try it but I’m confused by the directions. When are the rice and the yogurt-cinnamon-maple syrup mixture combined? Or are they?
Deborah
OOPS!! I left that step out. Thanks SO much for the heads up.
Deborah
deana@lostpastremembered
I love brown rice pudding but still make it with egg and milk, although I always add a little maple syrup because, well they go beautifully together. I can’t wait to try a low fat version. Happy New Year, Deborah!
Deborah
Happy New Year to you too, Deana. I hope you won’t be disappointed. The reason I put “pudding” in quotes is that this isn’t quite the real thing. It’s a healthy approximation that’s tasty in its own right, but it’s yogurt, not a custard, and there’s no pretending about that. Still, it has it’s place.
Deborah
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