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It’s almost effortless to conjure up the sweet aroma of grandma’s rice pudding baking in the oven. It was a smell that occupied her entire home, and still occupies my memories. Thanks to my grandma and my mom, my little ones will grow up sharing this memory, but in the context of our home.
Little has changed in how we make our rice pudding, from the original that was enjoyed in grandma’s kitchen so often years ago. She baked; we cook it on the stove top most of the time. She added eggs; we have a little one with an egg allergy, so unless we make two dishes, we go egg-free. A few tiny subs or additions here or there, depending on the day – but in the end, it is still the warm, homey, comforting dish I recall from my childhood.
What’s great about rice pudding is that if you’re not using refined sugar, if makes a wonderful dessert or breakfast. We’ve even had it for lunch. And snack. It’s just that good. Especially when it’s made in Gran’s casserole and eaten out of her fancy dishes.
Grandma Amey’s Rice Pudding
Ingredients (our updated substitutions in parentheses)
- 3 cups cooked rice (organic whole grain brown or wild rice)
- 1 apple, chopped (unpeeled)
- 1/2 cup raisins (organic)
- 1 1/2 cups milk or cream (organic milk or cream, or homemade almond milk)
- 1 egg (from a local farm)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoons sugar (honey or panela)
- 1/2 teaspoonCinnamon
Our Additions:
- Virgin coconut oil or coconut butter
- Sometimes a combo of: sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, hemp seed
Instructions
As far as I recall, Grandma never used a recipe. She simply made a pot of rice, and added the other ingredients by sight or intuition. I don’t think she ever heard a complaint!
1. Cook rice according to instructions (or use leftover rice – I often cook extra rice when making a meal for this purpose)
2. Chop the apples. Grandma would have peeled them. We leave the peel on.
3. Mix the rice, apples, raisins, milk, egg, sweetener and cinnamon in a casserole dish and bake in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes.
OR
Place the rice, apples, raisins, milk, egg, sweetener and cinnamon in a pot and heat on medium-low for 15-25 minutes.
4. Serve warm or cold with fresh milk or cream or a dollop of real whipping cream.
Kris Antonius has a crew of four budding gardener chefs, ages 3, 6, 10, and 13, and is passionate about good food and learning. She enjoys exploring sustainable farms, food, and recipes with her family and nurturing the seeds that are planted on their numerous food and learning adventures.
*Photo of Kris by Pauline Boldt.
For more tips on eating well affordably, check out this post: Fitting Real Foods into the Budget – tips from myself on eating REAL food on a budget and links to some of my favourite posts on this topic.
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This post was shared as a part of Thank Goodness It’s Monday, Natural Living Monday, Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Unprocessed Fridays, Fight Back Fridays and Simply Natural Saturdays.
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