Going through some changes - Spiced rice milk drink

Habits are a funny thing - they are sometimes so difficult to break, but often a change from something that has become a habit (good or bad) feels good. I have been going through some drastic changes during the first quarter of this year and they have really helped me to re-focus as well as made me feel very energised and positive.

Cutting down on gluten and dairy has been much easier than I thought. I haven't done this due to any medical condition, but more because this feels better for me and my body. I am loving gluten-free baking and discovering alternative ways to cook and bake. I am also very excited to try dairy-free options, like this home-made rice milk and the nut milks I've made in the past.

This spicy rice milk drink reminds me of chai mix, but I haven't added any black tea in it. If you're after a stronger taste, you could easily add black tea in the mix. There are a few different ways of making rice milk, but I like this one because of its so easy and results in very creamy milk.

Spiced rice milk drink*

{Rice milk}**

1/2 cup brown rice (long or medium grain)

6-8 cups water

{Spiced rice milk drink}

1 1/2 cups

5-10 cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

knob of fresh ginger

5 cloves

1 tsp natural vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla bean)

raw honey, to serve

*Start this recipe by making the rice milk up to 2,5 hours before.
 ** This recipe is from Food.com website. Makes about 1 litre of milk, consume the milk within 2 days. 

1. Place the brown rice and water in a saucepan. Bring to boil and let simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the rice is very soft.

2. Place the cooked rice along with the water into a food processor and blitz until very smooth and creamy.

3. Let the mixture to stand for 45-60 minutes, then drain through a fine sieve or a muslin. (I had the left-over rice with umeboshi paste and it was delicious!)

 4. To make the spiced rice milk drink place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let sit, covered, for about 10-15 minutes. Drain off the spices and sweeten with raw honey, if you wish. Enjoy warm.