I am not typically a creature of habit, but there is always one constant in my life: a bowl of oatmeal before work. I always make a big batch of oatmeal on Sunday afternoon, and then divvy it into five microwave proof containers, perfect for a filling meal before a long day. Today, however, I was dangerously low on my old fashioned oats, and when I went to Trader Joe’s, I could not find the gluten free oatmeal anywhere! Mildly panicked, I was determined to make do with things I could find at home for my breakfast needs, and I immediately thought of my mom’s rice pudding. It was always one of my favorites growing up, and now I’ve put my own twist on it. With the combination of brown rice, blueberries, and almonds, this is seriously delicious and filling. I may have found a new habit-forming breakfast…
Blueberry Brown Rice Pudding
makes 8 servings
For Pudding
-2 cups brown rice
-4 cups water
-5 large eggs
-1 1/2 cups almond milk
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
-1 1/2 cups blueberries (frozen or fresh)
For Crumble
-1/2 cup gluten free flour
-1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal
-1/2 cup white sugar
-1/2 cup sliced almonds
-3 Tbsp Earth Balance (or butter)
First, make your rice. Everyone I talk to has different ways of doing this, but when I’m making brown rice on a gas range, I combine 2 cups of rice with 4 cups of water. Bring that to a boil and immediately cover it, drop the heat to its lowest setting, and let it cook for 50 minutes. Then fluff your rice, and you are ready to make rice pudding.
Whisk together the eggs, almond milk, vanilla extract, salt, and brown sugar. Then add the cooked rice and blueberries. Mix well and move to a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Next combine the flour, oatmeal, white sugar, and almonds for the crumble topping. Cube your Earth Balance or butter, add this to your dry ingredients, and combine with your fingers. Put this on top of your rice pudding and bake for 10 more minutes. I suggest setting your baking dish on top of a cookie sheet in case anything spills over in the baking process.
This will be great divided up and reheated before work this week, but it would also be really fun to do in individual ramekins for brunch! The pudding and crumble can both be prepared and held uncooked the night ahead, making for really easy serving.
Adeline Alley 