Spiced-Vanilla Rice Pudding

For this recipe, we used vanilla-flavored soy milk (which adds 3.3 grams of soy protein per serving), but the pudding is also good with chocolate. If you don't have cheesecloth, toss the spices into the rice mixture, and remove them before serving. Short-grain rice is starchier than other varieties; rinsing it removes some of the starch and prevents the dish from becoming chalky.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 3/4  cup  uncooked short-grain rice
• 3  cups  water, divided
• 3  cardamom pods
• 1  whole clove
• 1  (2-inch) cinnamon stick
• 2  cups  vanilla soy milk (such as Silk)
• 1/2  cup  sugar
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 1  large egg yolk
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• Ground cinnamon (optional)

Preparation

Place rice in a bowl; cover with water to 1 inch above rice. Stir until water becomes cloudy; drain. Repeat procedure until water no longer becomes cloudy.

Place rinsed rice and 2 cups water in a 2-quart saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Uncover and stir well.

Place cardamom, clove, and cinnamon on a double layer of cheesecloth. Gather edges of cheesecloth together; tie securely. Add cheesecloth bag, 1 cup water, milk, sugar, and salt to rice; stir well to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat, and simmer until reduced to 4 cups (about 20 minutes). Remove cheesecloth bag; discard.

Place egg yolk in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon rice mixture; stir well to combine. Combine egg mixture and rice mixture; cook over medium-low heat 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon, if desired. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

294 (9% from fat)

Fat:

3g (sat 0.5g,mono 0.9g,poly 1g)

Protein:

6.4g

Carbohydrate:

59.9g

Fiber:

1.1g

Cholesterol:

53mg

Iron:

1.9mg

Sodium:

123mg

Calcium:

157mg