Photo by Joseph De Leo; styled by Sarah Copeland

Maybe it seems a little crazy to be discussing dessert the day after the most chocolate-filled day of the year, but this isn't your typical sugary treat. A far cry from the white-on-white rice puddings of shiny diner meals past, this classic recipe is made with brown rice and sweetened only with whole ingredients -- raisins and a homemade date syrup. Though, the term "date syrup" betrays its simplicity -- it's just dates and water, albeit an ingenious way to get the sweetness and flavor of dates into every spoonful.

Feel free to swap in other items from your pantry, adding dried cherries and hazelnuts instead of raisins and almonds, or making the syrup out of dried figs over dates. Equally at ease served at sunset as at sunrise (a virtuous dessert becomes a nourishing breakfast), this recipe is as flexible as it is functional. 

Almond Brown Rice Pudding

Serves 4

1/2 cup pitted dates
1 cup uncooked brown rice
4 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup toasted, chopped slivered almonds

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

What flavorings or toppings would you add to make this dish your own? Share your ideas in the comments section below.

Like this post? See the Easy Everyday topic from last week: Portobellos Stuffed with Greens and Blue.