Rice Pudding

2-3 cps. cooked brown rice	1 cinnamon stick (or 1 tsp. cinnamon)
6-7 cps. liquid (apple juice, water, soymilk or rice milk-any combination)	1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 - 3/4 cp. raisins, currants dried unsulphured apples or apricots	2 TB. Tahini or Almond Butter
Pinch of unrefined sea salt	Juice and rind of 1 lemon or orange

Combine rice, liquid, dried fruit, cinnamon stick, vanilla and a pinch of sea salt in a heavy pot; stir and cook on a low heat. Simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally. If rice absorbs all the liquid and starts to look dry, add more liquid. Once rice is very soft, place one cup of the rice and the Tahini in a blender; blend until smooth; return to rice and stir. Continue to simmer 15-20 minutes. Add lemon or orange juice and rind for flavor. Garnish with toasted almonds or walnuts. Soymilk or amasake* provide a richer taste than using apple juice and water only. Sweet brown rice which is a more glutinous, sticky and easier to digest rice, makes this pudding even creamier and tastier.

NOTE: The apple juice and dried fruit make this pudding sweet. If not sweet enough for you, add some brown rice syrup or barley malt syrup, both of which are complex sugars and will not give you the “high” of simple refined sugars. *Amasake is also a nice addition. It is a sweet milk made from rice.