Coconut Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding

i love rice pudding. i love coconut. i love milk. i love lamp...whatever.

so if you mix all of those things (sans the lamp) together & let it simmer, you get this awesome creamy concoction that makes you want to eat a sinful amount. for shame.

you actually have 2 options with rice pudding. you can make it with non cooked rice or cooked rice. most recipes have you working with non cooked rice. probably because not a ton of people have cups & cups of cooked rice sitting around. but i'm not most people. so that's that.

i basically think the cooking time is the same, cooked or non cooked- but this is how i do things:

Coconut Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding
You Need:
2 cups of cooked rice (i use Jasmine)
1 can of coconut milk (full fat or light)
2 cups of milk
1 tblsp vanilla bean paste
1/4 cup white sugar
pinch of salt
chia seeds (optional)

Directions: Mix everything together (except the chia seeds) in a medium sized pot. Place the pot on low heat & simmer for around 40-45 minutes. Stir occasionally until the mixture is thick & creamy.

you can eat it hot, sprinkled with toasted coconut or cinnamon, or let it cool overnight & eat it nice & cold. You can also play with the flavors & add nutmeg, ginger, almond extract, etc etc. whatever your heart desires.

an added bonus is tossing in some chia seeds.

these things are packed with fiber & give a nice texture to just about anything. they're initially crunchy right out of the bag but if you leave them overnight they soak up some of the moisture & have an almost tapioca like texture. i hate tapioca but i love these.

i added about a palm full to the rice pudding & allowed it to cool overnight.

...& yes- i did eat the entire pot. it took me a week- but i did it.