For instance, I really, really want to try the W burger from Wendy's. I know it's bad for me. I know it will probably make me feel awful. Like a lead ball in my stomach and knives in my sides (aka kidneys and gallbladder) and a general greasy groggy feeling. But while I am eating it I bet it will be delicious.
No, I did not convince or even try to convince Hubby to Be to zip by a drive through on our way home at 9:30 at night. I had more willpower than that.
Another Crave I had was rice pudding. I haven't had it in ages and it wasn't ever a childhood favorite. In fact I don't think I ever had it more than once or maybe twice as a kid. It was, however, a university staple. In little plastic cups with a sprinkle of cinnamon on the top. It was a half cup of heaven eaten with a plastic spoon after class with friends.
I knew there was leftover rice in the fridge from a few days ago. I also knew that rice pudding was NOT part of the approved diet, which I have been failing to follow to a T lately. Which probably explains the ridiculous cravings. But it was nearing 10 and I really didn't want to be crazy and lose sleep just to make and eat rice pudding. So I had other snacks instead, and went to bed still craving rice pudding.
Guess what's for breakfast? That's rice. Pun fully intended. I knew I had to make it a little bit healthier than a typical rice pudding in order to begin to justify my desert-for-breakfast desires. So this is what I made:
Fat Free Maple Vanilla Rice Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 cups leftover rice (brown or white, doesn't matter)
- 2 1/2 cups Fat Free milk (I used fat free evaporated canned milk for it's creamy qualities)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- dash nutmeg
- dash salt
1. Combine rice, milk and maple syrup in a sauce pan over medium high heat.
2. Using a sharp knife, slice open the vanilla bean. Open the seam and flatten with your knife. Run the knife along the bean pod, scraping out the sticky black seeds. Add these and the bean pod the pan. Add cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
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| It's totally okay that it looks like the lid came off the pepper shaker. These are lovely vanilla bits. |
3. Bring just to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently until most of the liquid had absorbed and mixture becomes thick and creamy.
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| Getting closer! |
The mixture will get thicker.... and creamier....
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| It's almost there! |
And start making lovely slopping plopping noises when you stir it.....
And it will smell fantastically amazing....
4. It will cook for 35- 45 minutes by the time it's done. Some people like a thinner pudding and some people like a thicker one. My test for perfection is that I can drag a wooden spoon across the bottom of the pan and see the metal for a quick second before the pudding gloops back around the spoon and covers the bottom again.
Like This....
And This....
5. Now comes the trickiest part. You have to let it cool for about 10 minutes. Why? A) so you don't burn yourself when you dig in, and B) to let the starches set up a little bit and get even thicker and creamier.
A half cup serving of this rice pudding is pretty much fat free and quite low on the sugar scale. It will count as one dairy serving and one starch serving if you are on the 17 day diet or any other plan that counts carbs and dairy servings. But it is a delicious treat that you don't have to feel completely horrible about eating. It is rich and decadent and I can't really eat much more than the half cup anyway, because it's too much for my tummy to have all that richness at once.
Happy Cooking! And Eating!
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