Cardamom Maple Mini Macaroons (Copy)
Serves 6 | Prep Time 5 minutes | Cook Time 40 minutes
Rice pudding is a soothing must-have for many people. The challenge here was figuring out how to create a delicious, healthier version that still had all of that creamy goodness without too much dairy. After a lot of tinkering together with my dessert maven, Wendy, we found that combining coconut milk—which has great nutritional qualities—and regular milk gave us the taste and consistency we were looking for. We added a kick of flavor by including cardamom and orange zest. If you want to go completely dairy free, see the variation.
Instructions
Combine the rice and water in a heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Drain the rice, rinse the saucepan, then put the milk, coconut milk, maple syrup, cardamom, and salt in the saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in the rice, turn down the heat to medium-low, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes; during the last 10 minutes of cooking, stir more frequently to prevent sticking or scorching. The pudding is done when the rice is tender and starts to stick to the bottom of the pan and the pudding has the consistency of loose oatmeal. It will thicken as it cools.
Remove from the heat and stir in the orange zest, vanilla, and raisins. Transfer to a heatproof bowl or serving dish and serve warm or chilled. If you’re serving it chilled and want to prevent a skin from forming, place a piece of parchment paper directly on the surface of the pudding and chill for at least 2 hours. Top with compote just before serving.
VARIATIONS: To make a dairy-free version of this recipe, use 21⁄4 cups of almond milk or rice milk in place of the regular milk and increase the amount of coconut milk to 1 cup. The dairy-free version will take about 5 minutes less to cook.
To increase the yum factor, and for a bit of crunch, sprinkle some toasted coconut or sliced almonds on top before serving.
STORAGE: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
PER SERVING: Calories: 455; Total Fat: 9.4 g (7.2 g saturated, 1.1 g monounsaturated); Carbohydrates: 84 g; Protein: 7 g; Fiber: 12 g; Sodium: 177 mg
Reprinted with permission from The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing, Big-Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery. Copyright © 2009 by Rebecca Katz with Mat Edelson, Ten Speed Press, a division of the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA.
Ingredients
1 1⁄4 cups arborio rice
2 cups water
2 1⁄2 cups organic milk or rice milk
3⁄4 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1⁄4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Pinch of sea salt
1⁄2 teaspoon orange zest
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1⁄4 cup raisins or currants (optional)
Dried Fruit Compote, Blueberry Compote, or Seasonal Stewed Fruit, for serving