So here it is! just like I promised – the NEW segment of my Blog –

Tried and True? or False!

We have all been there – reading a popular fitness magazine – glancing over the beautifully photographed recipes that look sooo yummy! Then we get inspired, go out, purchase all of the ingredients and decide today is the day I will start to eat healthy, and it will begin with this fantastic recipe I took out of _____ magazine. Then you spend the time, cook it, and it comes out looking absolutely NOTHING like the picture and tasting far worse then anyone could imagine, and with no other option because at this point you are starving, Chinese take out is on the menu for dinner! I want to help END the discouragment, the wasting of time and money – and put the trust BACK into the readers and testers of these recipes! So each week (or maybe every other week ;o)) I will try a NEW recipe from a national fitness / healthy eating magazine. I will then offer my HONEST opinion as to whether it was easy and quick to prepare, whether it looked anything like the picture in the magazine and most importantly – a taste rating!
The recipes that will receive the highest ratings will be fast, easy, fresh and TASTY! I will even take picture of the food I prepare! Now – the whole picture thing – that idea just came to me – and since I tested my first recipe – and ate it all – a picture of this first review is impossible….LOL – so the pictures will be in the next post for sure!

This week – I tested
Almond Milk Rice Pudding in Clean Eating Magazine (p37 January February issue 2010)

- 4 Cups original unsweetened almond milk
- 2 Cups cooked brown jasmine rice
- 3 4 inch peices orange peel, no white pith
- 1tsp pure vanilla extract
- pinch sea salt
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup, divided
- 3 tbsp unsalted almonds, sliced and toasted, divided
- 6 unsweetened dried apricots, thinly sliced, divided

In saucepan set over medium heat, add milk, rice, orange peel, vanilla, salt and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 30 – 45 min. The pudding will need more stirring as it thickens into custard. Remove rice misture from heat, let cool, divide among 6 bowls and drizzle each with 1tsp maple syrup and garnish with almonds and apricots.

REVIEW: This recipe makes this yummy dessert a little more complicated then need be. Generally speaking – it was AWESOME! Yummy, VEGAN, healthy, ……..just a few tweaks make it a little easier…..I made the recipe a second time – with the following tweaks and it was much easier, quicker and just as yummy! I skipped the orange peel, salt, vanilla extract, toasting the almonds (what who does that???), and thinnly slicing the apricots – let’s face it – I will never do that…..and it would inhibit me making the dish on a week night….Here is my modified, QUICKER version of this great recipe!

THIS RECIPE GETS A TWO THUMBS UP FROM ME! ENJOY!