Recipe: Easy Rice Pudding, Lactose-Free Tree Nut-Free, Egg-Free

When I was in junior high school, one of my best friends was Venezuelan and after school, we’d raid her fridge. Two things they always had for after school snacks were rice pudding with raisins and empanadas, both nut-free and both so beyond yum. (They also had Nutella, this was in the mid-80s, which they brought from South America. Of course, I didn’t touch that.)

Every time I think of making rice pudding for myself and I look up recipes, they involve so much milk and/or cream and/or sugar and/or sweetened milk condensed and/or evaporated milk and/or a custard base and/or a house of stirring. Ugh, the work and I’m hungry when I wake up in the morning.

So, one morning while doing the #cook90 challenge by Epicurious, I thought hmm, what if I warmed up day old rice in milk, added raisins, topped with cinnamon and finished it with maple syrup, what might happen? Quick and easy rice pudding happened and IT IS GLORIOUS!

Recipe: Easy Rice Pudding, Lactose-Free Tree Nut-Free, Egg-Free
Makes one portion, scale up for your needs

.5 cup cooked white rice
.25 - .5 cup Lactaid milk 2%
Handful of golden raisins to taste
Cinnamon for sprinkling
Maple syrup to taste

In a heavy saucepan, on medium heat, cook the rice in the milk until the milk has been absorbed. Taste for texture, add more milk if needed. Plate in your favorite bowl, sprinkle on cinnamon, add a glug of maple syrup and enjoy!