For us, social events as a child were sure to include a big pot of warm rice pudding coming off of the stove for dessert. When the aroma of cardamom and cloves filled the room you just knew your bowl was on its way. Juicy raisins in the smooth, sweet pudding would burst with flavor while the almonds provided a nutty crunch. We’ve taken this delicious dessert and RADNUTified it today! Replacing white rice for buckwheat increases fiber and protein content while dried fruit adds sweetness and fiber without an unnecessarily large amount of refined sugar. So why don’t we go ahead and satisfy that sweet tooth today and feel good about nourishing ourselves at the same time.
- 6-8 pitted dates
- 1 cup buckwheat
- 2 cup water
- 2 1/2 cup skim or 1% milk
- 3 pods cardamom
- 1 clove
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 3 tbsp pistachios
- 3 tbsp almonds
- 1 tbsp cashews (optional)
- 2 tbsp raisins
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Soak dates in bowl of warm water. Simmer buckwheat (covered) in 2 cup water on stove for 10 minutes
- Drain water from soaked dates, place dates in blender with 1 cup milk and blend well
- Drain excess water from buckwheat, add milk date mixture and an additional 1 cup milk to the pot
- Remove cardamom seeds from pod. Crush/grind cardamom seeds and clove, add to buckwheat pot
- Add cinnamon stick to buckwheat. Simmer (covered) at low heat for 25 minutes. During this time, heat oven to 380 degrees F, roast nuts 4-7 minutes until fragrant
- After simmering pudding, turn off stove-top. Add 1/2 cup milk, raisins, and vanilla. Cover pot with lid and let pudding sit on warm element for 5 minutes
- Top with nuts before serving pudding warm or chilled
Brown rice can be used instead of buckwheat but will require longer initial cooking time in water.