Sweet Brown Rice Porridge

I’m kind of at a loss for what to call this dish. At its root it’s “sweet rice”, a lightly-sweet breakfast dish my mom used to make occasionally with leftover rice when I was a kid. But it’s a couple steps beyond that, too, because I went on one of those sprees where I start throwing whatever else healthy I can think of into the pot.

Basically it’s an alternative to oatmeal. It’s really filling, easy to make ahead and bring to work, and very healthy as well.

Start by putting the rice in a saucepan and covering with milk. There’s no exact amount, but make sure it’s filled at least to the top of the rice as in the picture above. I use skim milk, but have used almond in the past and it’s turned out fine. Add a tablespoon or two of honey (or sugar if you prefer) and some cinnamon.

Stir the ingredients and turn the stove onto medium. You don’t want the heat to be too high or you’ll scald the milk. Just set it at medium and stir every couple of minutes as it begins to simmer.

Eventually (and somewhat slowly) it will come to a very gentle boil. It’s very foamy vs. bubbly. For me this probably took about 10 minutes.

Now, you can leave it here, or you can add all sorts of goodness. I had some dried cranberries sitting around, so I threw those in. If nuts are your thing, feel free to add. They’re not mine.

I did, however, think to add chia seeds at the last minute. Super healthy, full of protein, just about perfect. Stir everything and turn the heat off. Let sit for a few minutes so the last few ingredients can absorb some liquid.

And that’s all there is to it. Eat hot or refrigerate. It’s good leftover cold or heated back up. Makes for a great, fiber-y, protein-y breakfast on work mornings. Should last a week or so refrigerated.