We love it when beloved savory superfoods dress up as healthy desserts. This creamy pudding from Claire Thomas of The Kitchy Kitchen merges whole food nourishment with the cozy goodness of comfort food, giving us the best of both worlds! Replacing rice with quinoa means we get protein and essential amino acids in place of starch. Coconut milk makes this luscious dish vegan-friendly, too.
Whether you add berries, nuts or nothing at all, this versatile bowl of deliciousness will quench cravings and leave you satisfied. Get inspired by some of our other favorite quinoa recipes – including this tropical bowl and this apple-spiced porridge – and whip up Claire’s pudding for a sweet breakfast, healthy dessert or sinless snack.
Rice pudding is one of my favorite comfort-food desserts. In France, riz au lait is just as much an art form for grandmas as knitting or lacemaking. The texture must be yielding and tender, the flavor full and mildly sweet, and usually a swirl of thin caramel crests the top. I wanted to create a ‘weekday’ version of this decadent classic, one where there’s a little more protein. The cream is swapped with coconut, and can be topped with fruit and nuts for a decadent breakfast.
COCONUT + QUINOA PUDDING
Ingredients:
4 cups coconut milk (full fat)*
5 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup dried coconut
6 cardamom pods
1/2 cup quinoa
1 pinch of salt
sliced almonds, sliced banana, raisins for toppings
* For a lighter version, cut the coconut with half almond milk
Directions:
In a medium-size saucepan, bring coconut milk, honey, dried coconut and cardamom pods to a boil.
When the coconut milk is boiling, stir in the quinoa and cook on very low heat. The quinoa has to cook very slowly. Do not cover.
When the quinoa is cooked (taste it!) and you can see the grains on the surface of the coconut milk (it takes at least 30 minutes), remove from heat and let cool. The pudding will thicken because the quinoa will continue to absorb the coconut milk while cooling down.
Serve in bowls and top with almonds, banana and raisins.
