The Proof is in the Pudding

I love pudding. Any kind. It's all miraculously delicious in my book. I even tried black pudding not too long ago from a fancy-type restaurant and thought it was SUMPTIOUS! For those of you who aren't aware, Black Pudding is a savory pudding made from cooking blood with a filler and spices. GROSS RIGHT?!! I thought so too and sneered at it disdainfully in Taiwan last summer. It's eaten all over the world and I thought it was about time I tried.

Anyway I digress, I'm not making Black Pudding in this post so don't worry. You're safe. What I am making are two different kinds of pudding. Raw Chocolate Chia Seed and  Leftover Rice Pudding.

Okay so you may have noticed that I don't use much milk or dairy in my recipes. That's because it hurts my tummy so in all the recipes when I say milk, I'm using unsweetened almond milk which can easily be swapped out for regular milk.

Chia Seed Pudding

This one is SUPER EASY AND REALLY REALLY GOOD FOR YOU!! Chia seeds contain something like three times the daily necessary omega-3 oils and when you soak them they thicken. You can buy black or white chia seeds at most large grocery stores in the health food section but they tend to be expensive so keep your eyes peeled at bulk food stores and try to buy them like that.

I make a chia seed pudding almost every evening after supper.

I don't know where I got this from (we were NOT a dessert-after-dinner kind of family) but I always always crave something sweet after dinner. Before I sit down to eat, I put two heaping tablespoons chia seeds into a dessert dish (sometimes I do this in a wine glass cause it makes me feel fancy) with 1 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. And then just let it sit for a minimum of 15 minutes. Stir it a couple times before you eat it.

It get's to be the consistency of tapioca pudding but the seeds are a bit crunchier. Yum!!


Leftover Rice Pudding

You can make this with any kind of rice (hmmmmm or quinoa probably but I haven't tried it). I used leftover basmati rice.

Pre-heat oven to 350.

In a saucepan combine:
1 cup cooked rice
2 cups milk

and bring to a boil. Stir it often so it doesn't burn.

Beat together:
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Tablespoon White sugar
3 Tablespoons Maple Sugar or Brown sugar or Maple Syrup (if you use syrup then you  have to bake the pudding for an extra 10 minutes or it'll be soupy).

Add the egg mixture to the hot milk. MAKE SURE YOU KEEP STIRRING THE MILK AS YOU'RE POURING OTHERWISE THE EGG WILL COOK UNEVENLY. Pudding needs to be stirred, it's a custard thing.

Let the whole kit and caboodle cook on the stove for about a minute at a low simmer and then pour it into a glass baking dish with a lid. Cook for 20 minutes with the lid on. Take the lid off give it a stir and then cook for 10 minutes, lid off.

It's not the most attractive pudding so I made a maple syrup reduction (boil1/2 cup maple syrup to 112 degrees on your candy thermometer) and put a couple strawberries and mint leaves on top of each bowl. Drizzle it with the reduction and it looks much more presentable!