Goodmorning, or afternoon rather.
I have a recipe to share with you, well sort of, I will give you the ingredients and some ideas, the portions are up to you. And whether you keep it a healthy dish or not. This dish could go either way, from health nut to well, rice pudding.
Lately, I've been making a big batch of this "breakfast rice" early in the week. I try to keep it fairly healthy. It keeps great in the fridge and makes for a quick, easy, warm breakfast, or I suppose you could eat it cold too.
So here it is…breakfast rice.
These are the must haves:
Cooked brown rice (if you're feeling fancy cook it in coconut milk for extra flavor)
Mashed ripe bananas, even over ripe. This is your sweetening agent in this recipe.
Milk. Coconut, almond, soy, whatever you use. We use coconut.
And here are the glorious add ins/options:
Grains and seeds (teff, chia seeds, flax)
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans)
Raisins
Protein powder
So take your pick of any or all of the above. Place your desired amount of brown rice, mashed banana, and milk into a sauce pot. Bring to a boil. Add in your choice of add-ins. :)
Stir and simmer together for 10 minutes or so to let all the flavors really come together.
Dish up what you want, store the rest in tupperware.
You can stop here if you want, by why not add in some toppings?
Topping ideas:
sliced banana
blueberries
raspberries
strawberries
nectarine
peach
plum
peanut butter
cocoa covered crushed nuts
coconut flakes
maple syrup
…you get the point
and well of course you can always add more coconut milk and/or butter (if you want something a little less healthful). My husband would add about 10 spoonfuls of brown sugar. ;)
We keep our rice base pretty thick, and thin it up to our likeness by adding coconut milk just before eating after reheating. Treat it like oatmeal. Make it to your taste and consistency.
And enjoy your new breakfast rice! Get creative.
Are you guys ready for this one?
A few days ago I came across Martha Stewart's recipe for chewy oatmeal blondies, only they called for an every day baking mix that 1. I wouldn't use in any other recipe and 2. I didn't feel like making, so I came up with my own recipe. And my oh my, they are delicious. I think I even surprised myself a little. :)
Chewy, sweet, salty, buttery goodness. Yes please! Blondies are brownies cousin so to speak, and just as delicious. And that's coming from a big chocolate fan! Generally speaking, if a dessert doesn't have chocolate in it, I'm usually not all that excited. These are an exception. You don't even miss the chocolate. If you don't believe me, try them for yourself. And if you still can't get passed the fact, go ahead and throw in a few chocolate bits, or even toffee. Possibilities are endless. My mom commented these reminded her of the salted caramel gelato we indulged on the previous night. Caramel? Yes! Salt? Yes! Butter? Yes! Are you convinced yet? ;)
Without further ado...
Brown butter oatmeal blondies
Yield: 12 squares
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup self-rising white flour
1/4 cup oats plus small handful for sprinkling on top
Method:
Preheat your oven to 350F. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Occasionally give the pan a swirl. *Note: The mixture will bubble and double in size so make sure your saucepan is high enough. Keep swirling once the bubbling starts. Watch carefully as light brown specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan. Smell the butter; it should have a nutty aroma. Once the color has changed remove from heat.
Beat 1 cup of packed brown sugar with the brown butter.
Once butter has cooled slightly ( we don't want scrambled eggs), add the egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.
Add in your flour and salt. Next, your oats. Mix until just combined.
Line an 8x8 pan with greased parchment paper. Pour mixture in, spread evenly. You will end up with an almost caramel like batter.
Sprinkle remaining oats on top. Press down slightly to make them stick.
Bake at 350F for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and firm.
Cool completely.
Slice into squares and serve!
