Perhaps not my usual ‘super health focused’ post, but I’m always open to a challenge and I think it’s important to really highlight the ‘balance’ theme with a little bit of naughtiness too!
Remember rice pudding? That dessert you had as a kid, in those Ambrosia pots to go in your lunchbox? Say hello to Naughty But Rice, the grown-up, naughtier version aiming to make it sexy again with their gorgeously-designed rice pudding pots, full of high quality ingredients and available in three devilishly good flavours:
- Coconut & Raspberry
- Chocolate Orange
- Salted Caramel
I’ll just point here that you’ll see double cream, sugar…But you know what, Naughty But Rice is exactly what it says on the tin (erm, tub) – it ain’t claiming to be good for you, but it’s definitely good for the soul when you’re craving something indulgent, stodgy and rich. And hell yeh, sometimes that’s exactly what we all want, isn’t it?
I received a box packed full of goodies as part of my challenge to experiment and create my very own innovative, unique and exciting flavour using some of these ingredients. You’ll see things like spices, vanilla, pudding rice (of course), no added sugar nut butter and desiccated coconut in there – staples in my cupboard as a health foodie…Along with a couple of pots of Naughty But Rice to give them a go (OHMYDAYS THEY ARE HEAVENLY).
Back to the challenge. Because I’m all about #IndulgingInnocently, I wanted to put my own twist on this by creating something that fits in with my ethos (low/no added sugar, gluten-free, natural ingredients) but with a little bit of naughtiness in there.
So here we go, a combination of chilli, chocolate, orange and strawberries…Reckon Naughty But Rice will like this?
Ingredients:
For the rice pudding –
- ½ cup pudding rice
- 1 + ½ cups coconut milk (from a carton, not a can – I use The Coconut Company dried powder)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons cacao powder (I used Kaizen Living)
- Pinch of chilli powder (according to preference!
(Note: you can make rice pudding in the oven but I preferred to make this on the hob.) Wash the rice and drain. Place all of the ingredients in a pan, stir well and bring to the boil. Simmer for a total of about 30-40 minutes, until the rice has cooked and absorbed most of the liquid. Be sure to stir regularly to prevent sticking!
Set aside and leave to cool, adding a little water if too thick.
For the strawberry layer –
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
- 1 tablespoon no added sugar strawberry jam (I get Tesco’s own)
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- 3-4 tablespoons chia seeds (I used Kaizen Living)
Meanwhile, make the ‘jam’: Place the chopped strawberries, jam, orange zest and juice in a small pan. Bring to the boil then simmer for about 5 minutes until softened slightly. Remove from the heat, stir in the chia seeds and set aside to cool.
For the chocolate drizzle –
- ¼ bar plain cooking chocolate
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil (I used Lucy Bee)
- Pinch of chilli flakes
- Fresh strawberries, to decorate
Break the chocolate up into pieces and gently melt in a pan with the coconut oil, stirring. Remove from the heat.
Now layer up when both the rice pudding and jam have cooled: Take 2-4 small tumbler glasses and spoon some of each to create as many layers as you want. Drizzle over some melted chocolate over each, sprinkle over the chilli flakes and top with a strawberry half. Place in the fridge until chilled – then tuck in!
Thanks to the guys at Wild Card PR for getting me on board. Be sure to follow Naughty But Rice on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram – and give them a go if you spot them!