Apple and Date Rice Pudding

Beef Ragu with creamy mashed potatoes

We had white rice on the menu this week, which is an absolute rarity in our house I hardly ever cook it, I’m not a fan, but my son likes it, and the hubby is always happy to see carbs on the table so every so often I will add it to a dish that works this week it was a veggie stir fry.

Out of all the carbs I have to say white rice is the one that I can always go without, Potatoes I will struggle to say no too and put fresh bread in front of me, and any restraint goes out the window. Pasta I could take it or leave it, but white rice very rarely ever gets a bite out of me. So we had quite a lot of leftover rice and rather than waste it I decided to whip up a little rice pudding. I probably shouldn’t use the expression whip up though as rice pudding is a pretty slow cook.

What started as a what have I got in the house that can make this a pudding without using sugar, turned out to be a pretty tasty dessert. So next time you cook to much rice, why not give this little recipe a try.

What You’ll Need

2 red apples

3 tablespoons of maple syrup (optional)

8 dates

A pinch of cinnamon

Leftover Rice approx 1 1/2 cups cooked

3 cups of oat or almond milk

A handful of chopped almonds




Prep

Grate the apples into your pot of rice.

Remove stones from dates and slice in half, then add.

Add the milk and maple syrup and return the pot to medium heat.

Gently cook out for 15- 20 minutes often stirring so that it doesn’t catch on the bottom (a good dish to do while doing the dinner dishes)

As it gently cooks out the dates will soften, and the sweetness from the dates and the apples will replace the need for adding refined sugar.

Once your rice has reduced down to a soft creamy texture, it is ready to eat.

Sprinkle with some roughly chopped almonds if you have them.

Great as a little lunch box xtra, this will store well in the fridge for a few days.

Enjoy!