October was a month of unprecedented viewership for Allergy Foodie – thanks to so many of my readers and to ‘Circle of Moms’ for nominating Allergy Foodie for a spot in the top 25 food allergy blog list. The nomination has helped a lot more readers benefit from this blog. That in turn has motivated me to get an early start on Thanksgiving and hopefully more caregivers like me can look forward to a safe and delicious meal. So, as my little one says – ‘Turkey, gobble, gobble – here I come!’ But that’s not all…it is going be a month of gourmet, AF (Allergy Friendly) recipes with a slight twist on traditional dishes.
What better way to start off than a delectable dessert…
AF (Allergy Friendly) Rice Pudding
Ingredients:
- Rice: 1/4 cup (Basmati rice works wonderfully well!)
- Coconut Milk Beverage: 3 cups (or, Oat Milk/ Rice Milk/ Dari-Free/ Hemp Milk)
Coconut Milk Beverage Original (Photo courtesy: http://www.turtlemountain.com) - Coconut Milk: 1/2 cup (This has a high fat content and adds to the texture of the pudding)
- Sugar: 1/4 cup
- Saffron: 4-5 strings
- Raisins: 1 tablespoon
- Dairy substitute: 1 tablespoon (for e.g Earth Balance Coconut Spread)
Method:
- Wash and drain the rice.
- In a thick bottomed vessel, heat 1 tablespoon of butter substitute on low to medium heat.
- Add the raisins and stir. They will plump up as they warm up and absorb the fat. This helps soften the raisins and makes it more flavorful when used in dishes.
- Remove the raisins and drain the excess oil in a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Add the washed and drained rice to the remaining oil/ butter subsititute in the pan. Stir it till it is a very light golden brown.
- Now add 2 cups of the coconut milk and the sugar to the rice. Let the rice cook in in on low to medium heat stirring at regular intervals.
- In approximately 30 mintues the rice will be completely cooked and be soft and mushy to touch. Add 1 more cup of coconut milk beverage and 1/2 a cup of coconut milk.
- Add the raisins and saffron strings. Let it cook for 5 – 10 more minutes or till it is slighlty more liquid than desired consistency. As the dish cools down – it will thicken further.
- Serve chilled. A further twist – serve warm on a frosty Thanksgiving day and feel it warm your soul 🙂
Wanna turn it up a notch – serve it in a small earthen bowl like I have. The flavor imparted by the earthen dish is very natural and earthy – absolutely eclectic and, totally safe too! You can get small earthen bowls in stores like Home Depot!
Tip:
- Coconut Milk works very well in this dish because of its flavor and fat content. However, Oat Milk, Dari-free and Hemp Milk are great options too especially if you are either allergic or do not like coconut. Rice Milk pudding tends to be too watery so that would be my last option.
Allergy Foodie 