How Sweet It Is

As the final-examination period kicks in "full-gear" at my college (all next week!), I have been trying to find ways to remain calm and to stay positive, despite my rising stress levels. Since I am (rather unfortunately) too impatient to practice yoga or to meditate in order to reduce stress, I decided to engage in the one activity that always brightens my day - yes, you guessed correctly; I have been baking! And I am happy to report that my stress levels have reduced (even while studying quite a bit of material, for each of my upcoming final-examinations). Oh, how sweet it is, being able to bake during this busy time, instead of just studying my sanity away ;0)

This latest "sweet baking escapade" of mine has featured two, all-new recipes - one in a sweetbread form, and one in a pudding form. Since I am quite comfortable with baking sweetbreads, I decided to begin my baking adventure with this "familiar" treat - however, I wanted to modify my sweetbread recipe by experimenting with different flavors and ingredients (which, as evidenced by my previous post, I enjoy doing quite often these days). I knew exactly which "new" ingredients I wanted to use/combine for this sweetbread variety - a flavor-combination that my family and I have always adored, but have never eaten before in this form: apples & cinnamon.



After gathering the necessary ingredients, preparing the batter, and baking it in the oven for approximately 45 minutes, I was able to create a scrumptious, tantalizingly-fragrant Apple-Cinnamon Loaf. Brimming with juicy, fresh apple chunks, and the sweet, warm taste of ground cinnamon, each slice of this autumn-inspired loaf is guaranteed to satisfy your craving for something light and delicious - and there's even some dense, chewy oats included in the mix, for added texture, flavor, and wholesomeness!

One of my brothers declared this apple-cinnamon loaf as my "best baked good yet!" - and it seemed that the rest of my family wholeheartedly agreed, since all I heard (during the two days that this loaf managed to last, haha) was, "mmmm!" and "wow, this is great!" :0) I only wish that the photograph above did this baked good the justice that it deserves - I unfortunately made the mistake of reviewing the photograph after I had already eaten my slice of apple-cinnamon loaf, when it was too late to take another shot (and it was the last slice left, so I didn't have another chance to take a better photograph!). In any event, I am quite relieved that this newest recipe-tweaking experiment of mine (i.e. using fresh apples instead of dried; using the apple-cinnamon flavor-combination in a sweetbread) turned out successfully, and kept me nourished during my "study-session-snack-breaks."

In addition to baking the apple-cinnamon loaf as part of my latest "sweet baking escapade," I wanted to bake something other than a cake, pie, muffin, brownie, etc. - something completely new and exciting (well, at least to me, haha): rice-pudding.



Rice-pudding is one of those dishes/treats that I have never eaten before, in my entire life; and I never really thought about it, until I noticed just how often Frank (one of my fellow bloggers) enjoyed this dessert-dish. As if reading about this dish on Frank's blog wasn't enough temptation for me to try it for myself, I then discovered a fantastic recipe for it in (where else!) ED&BV! After reading through the recipe, I set out to create my own variation of the rice-pudding; and lucky for me, my newfound curiosity and eagerness to prepare this dish came just in time for this month's Sugar High Friday baking event!

As you may recall from my post about the fig bars, this past September, I began participating in as many of the Sugar High Friday baking events as I could - unfortunately, I have not had the time (or the courage) to participate in the events from this past October or November, but I vowed to participate this time around; especially since Zorra so graciously declared pudding (of all types!) as this month's theme. So, as my entry for this month's Sugar High Friday event, I would like to contribute the recipe for my version of pudding - rice-pudding, that is:




VeggieGirl's Banana-Nut-Rice-Pudding (adapted from this dish/recipe):


• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

• 3 tablespoons + 2/3 cup ricemilk (or any other nondairy "milk" of choice)

• 1/4 cup brown rice syrup

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 3 cups cooked brown rice (the short-grain variety works best)

• 1 ripe banana, chopped into bite-sized pieces

• 1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped (for garnish)

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (for garnish)



Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). In a large bowl, whisk together the arrowroot powder and the 3 tablespoons of ricemilk, until the arrowroot is fully dissolved. Add the remaining 2/3 cup of ricemilk and stir until well-combined. Whisk in the brown rice syrup until well-combined. Then, add the vanilla extract, cinnamon, brown rice, and banana, and stir until well-combined.

Generously coat a 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray, and then transfer the pudding-mixture into the pie plate. Sprinkle the chopped pecans and the 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon evenly over the pudding-mixture.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the pudding-mixture has thickened and is slightly bubbling. Remove from the oven and let cool/firm up for about 30 minutes, before serving.


Makes 4 servings.



Luscious, pleasantly sweet, aromatic, and filling - these are just a few of the words that come to mind (and that were used by my family) when describing the Banana-Nut-Rice-Pudding. I cannot believe what I have been missing all these years, by not ever trying rice-pudding!! It's simply divine!! I enjoyed my portion (pictured above the recipe instructions) heated up, which made for a comforting, decadent (yet nutritious!) afternoon snack. All of the various flavors and ingredients complemented each other quite well in this dish, and my family is looking forward to enjoying it again soon (as they have hinted, haha).

As you can see, I refuse to let anything get in the way of my baking adventures - especially since it is my preferred (and reliable) method to relieve stress (like the stress I am experiencing now, due to my final-examination preparation). But after next week, when all of my final-examinations are complete, I will have exactly one month off from school, which means that I will have even more time to bake - oh, how sweet it is (or, will be) :0)