Chicken Jalfrezi and Grandma's Rice Pudding

Tonight, I cooked Chicken Jalfrezi, which is a dish using Indian spices, chicken, and peppers. I found it on a candida (yeast) diet site (scroll down the site for the recipe).

I have never cooked with turmeric, coriander, or garam masala before. It ended up being pretty good, but a little bland, which was surprising to me. Next time I'll season the chicken first for sure, maybe the peppers too. But it was a nice change of pace with different flavors than I'm used to eating and cooking with. I will probably try a different Indian recipe in the future because I do enjoy the warmth of the spices.

After dinner, I made a brown rice pudding and frittata so I can heat my breakfast quickly and easily in the morning. I used my grandma's recipe for the rice pudding, except substituting brown for white rice, almond milk for regular, and xylitol for sugar. It turned out well and can be eaten hot or cold.

Here is the original recipe:

Grandma's Rice Pudding
1/2 cup white rice
3 cups milk
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch of salt

Heat the milk and rice in a double boiler to a gentle boil. Cook until rice is done, about 30 minutes (note: longer for brown rice). Temper the egg and add it to the rice and milk. Add the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt and bring back to a gentle boil for a few minutes. Add raisins if desired. Eat hot or cold.

I used less than 1/2 cup of sugar (xylitol) and it tastes sweet enough to me.

If you've never had rice pudding, you should try it. It's such a warm, comforting food. The rice and milk just meld together. I have many fond memories of making this with my grandma. I'd always request rice pudding or grilled cheese and tomato soup whenever I was there for lunch. I remember the rice pudding taking so long to make in my young mind, since it took more than an hour to cook. It was always such an anticipation to take that first bite. Delicious.