Vegan brown rice pudding with pomegranate and chocolate

Jerusalem artichokes in bloom

Jerusalem artichokes at 12 feet in height

Vegan brown rice pudding with pomegranate and cacao nibs

I decided to try growing Jerusalem artichokes this summer for the first time. I didn't know quite what to expect and was totally overwhelmed when they bloomed just like sunflowers (pictured above). I have always loved sunflowers and decided to snap a few photos before the blooms faded away.

Now, I am waiting to harvest the artichokes which are actually tubers that grow underground like potatoes but are lower glycemic. I can't have any artichokes just yet as they cannot be harvested until after the first frost but I can still enjoy their beautiful blooms. In the meantime, I have no recipe with Jerusalem artichokes but I did get a inspiration for a dessert/breakfast from a pomegranate I found at the market.

Vegan Brown Rice Pudding with Pomegranate and Cacao Nibs

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups regular coconut milk
2. 4-5 T. coconut nectar or substitute less agave syrup
3. 2 T. chia seeds
4. 2 cups brown rice cooked
5. pomegranate seeds
6. cacao nibs

Directions:

1. Place the coconut milk and nectar in a pan. Heat the mixture.
2. Add the precooked rice to the milk mixture and bring to a low simmer for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the chia seeds.
3. Place in a container and cool in the fridge.
4. To serve, spoon into dessert dishes and top with a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds and cacao nibs or shaved chocolate.

More great ideas here: http://www.dietdessertndogs.com/2011/10/06/wellness-weekend-october-6-10-2011/

Brown Basmati Rice Pudding

I was getting myself into trouble in Hawaii by eating sticky brown rice wrapped in banana leaves. It was absolutely yummy and just slightly sweet but obviously carb overload for someone trying to keep candida under control. If I ever get this candida under control, I want to learn how to make sticky brown rice. Of course, I would never eat it with wreckless abandon as I did on my trip.

I did try something pretty close to that yummy treat---Brown Basmati Rice Pudding. But this time I ate one serving and froze the rest since I couldn't find anyone else to eat the extra.

Brown Basmati Rice Pudding
(makes 4 generous servings)

Ingredients:

1 cup brown basmati rice
2 cups water
1 cup unsweetened hemp milk (or soy or rice milk)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 inch gingerroot, peeled and minced
6 cardamon pods, crushed or 1 tsp. ground cardamon
one cinnamon stick or 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 T. SweetLeaf Powdered Stevia
1 can light coconut milk or other alternative beverage if coconut is an issue

Directions:

Rinse and place the rice in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the water, milk, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cardamon. Bring the rice to a boil; reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 45 minutes.

Stir in the sweetener and coconut milk and continue to simmer the rice without a lid over low heat. Cook until the liquid evaporates and the rice pudding thickens. This takes about 30 minutes or more. Remove the whole spices if used. I left in the ginger. Serve hot or warm with blueberries on top. The blueberries add some extra natural sweetness.

Stir-fry brown rice with seeds

I'm only allowing myself one serving of whole grains per day on the candida cleanse diet. I recently tried a recipe that was so good I'm having a hard time limiting myself to just one serving. It's called Stir-fry Brown Rice with Seeds.

Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked brown rice, cooled
1/2 T. olive oil
4-5 green onion stalks, chopped
1 cup mixed seeds (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin)

Directions:
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions and seeds and cook until seeds are lightly browned.
Then stir in cooked, cooled rice. Stir fry all until toasty and warm. Makes a delicious side dish or even the centerpiece of breakfast.