Vegan Recipe - Chai Rice Pudding

Do you want to eat healthy but just don't have the time to prepare great, nutritious meals?

I'd like to introduce you to Tess Masters; Actor, Presenter, Voice Over Artist and owner of the very popular blog, The Blender Girl.

Tess loves her blender and uses it extensively to create healthy "fast food". Via her Blog (The Blender Girl), The Blender Girl Smoothies app, and her book (The Blender Girl cookbook), she shares recipes for delicious creations such as Pumpkin Pie Smoothie and Cream Of Artichoke Soup.

Women, however, do not live on Smoothies, Soups, and Blenders alone ... either do men! So, Tess uses other appliances to create yummy food. For example, the recipe for Gluten Free Vegan’s Pizza Buns uses a mixer. A food processor makes a quick and delicious Alkaline Raw Cauliflower Tabouli.

All recipes are gluten-free and many are also dairy-, egg-, nut-, soy- and corn-free. Each one is quick to prepare and nutrient dense.

Tess has very graciously agreed to share a wonderful recipe with us. This one comes from her book, The Blender Girl cookbook.

I hope you'll give it a try!

Chai Rice Pudding

serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

1/4 cup (60ml) plus 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons water
2 apples, peeled, cored, and cubed
1 cup (240ml) canned coconut milk (shake, then pour)
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of natural salt
3 cups (450g) cooked short-grain brown rice (soft but not mushy)
1/4 cup (45g) raisins
1 cup (240ml) unsweetened almond milk (strained if homemade)
1/3 cup (40g) chopped raw pistachios

Method

In a saucepan over high heat, bring the 1/4 cup (60ml) of maple syrup and the water to a boil (this should take less than a minute). As soon as the mixture bubbles, reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the apples. Cook the apples for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they caramelize lightly and soften slightly but remain mostly firm.

While the apples are cooking, put the coconut milk, the remaining 3 tablespoons of maple syrup, the vanilla, ginger, spices, and salt into your blender and blast on medium-high for about 10 seconds, until combined. Add 1 1/2 cups (225g) of the rice and process on medium-low for a few seconds, until creamy but rustic. (If you’re using a high-speed blender, be careful of overdoing it; you don’t want a completely smooth blend here, and it can happen quickly. The pudding will be goopy if you overblend. If you’re using a conventional blender, your machine will let you know when the mixture is ready; it’ll thicken and be difficult to blend.) Add the blended mixture and the raisins to the cooked apples and stir to combine. Stir in 1/2 cup (120ml) of the almond milk and the remaining 11/2 cups (225g) of cooked rice. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens slightly. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup (120ml) of almond milk and simmer for 5 minutes more, until you have your desired consistency (I take my rice pudding off the heat as soon as the liquid has been absorbed). Tweak the maple syrup to taste.

Serve warm, at room temperature, or even chilled; add 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup (60ml) milk if you serve it chilled, to soften it up. Sprinkle pistachios on each serving.

Doesn't that sound wonderful?

For more recipes, buy Tess's Book HERE or get The Blender Girl Smoothies app HERE. And be sure to follow Tess on Twitter (@theblendergirl) for tips, recipes, and great content.


If you have a vegan recipe which you'd like to share, please contact me HERE. And for all the recipes we've shared so far, be sure to visit our recipe page using the tabs at the top of this blog ... or by clicking HERE.

This post is shared at Healthy, Happy, Green & Natural Party Hop