Ending the Tetra Diet and Cardamom Rice Pudding Recipe

Happy Sunday, everyone! It's mid-afternoon here and the sun is making a belated appearance. We've only had about three sunny days so far this spring but I'm holding the intention that we're due a good summer, after last year's washout. I love how all colors are enhanced when the sun shines--when it's not shining, it's as though a whole dimension is lost from the spectrum.

Well, I did my yeast retest a week ahead of when I'd thought I would, but I still stuck out my 'Tetra Diet' for a full three weeks. I enjoyed the zen simplicity of it, but had definitely had enough. I confirmed that last night by having yams, nettles and carrots for dinner: carrots still taste great as ever, but the nettles are coming close to flowering and don't taste as good, and neither do the plain yams. My taste buds are telling me something. Part of me craves a routine so that I can eat on autopilot, and another part would love to get more in touch with my body and always be in tune with exactly what I want. I do think that this experiment helped me to consider and search myself on 'what I like' in more depth, especially with the "Treat Day."

Released from the yeast, this has been my breakfast the last five mornings:

So yummy, and feels so good! Sometimes it's lasted me all morning! My problems with blood sugar that I lamented on here last year are a thing of the past: I'll devote a post to that issue soon.

Otherwise, I've been enjoying green smoothies, salads, veggies, and a few more tastes of that cardamom rice pudding before putting the rest in the freezer.

I'm glad that rice doesn't seem to be bothering me anymore either. This is such a good 'comfort food,' and I'm happy to share how I made it today. I didn't actually use that much 'fat' (coconut cream) for the entire amount--long, slow cooking makes the rice itself pretty creamy--and it was interesting to observe that I could feel so 'treated' by eating this but with no feeling of heaviness afterwards.

Cardamom Rice Pudding (sometimes called Kheer, or Payasam)
Note: I used the crockpot that I was given for my birthday, which has a sealing gasket on the lid and is thus way more efficient than my thriftstore crockpot with a loose lid. Depending on your crockpot, timings might vary.
2 cups long grain white basmati rice, soaked overnight and rinsed
8-12 cups water
1 generous teaspoon cardamom seeds (if I'd had pods, I'd have put four or five whole pods: I think the husks have some flavor too). *Make sure you're using green cardamom: black cardamom has a very different taste.
About a cup of neutral-tasting sweetener (I used just under a cup of xylitol/erythritol combined and 2 tablespoons sugar).
2 cups coconut cream (or make thick coconut milk) (or one can)

Rinse the soaked rice and put in crockpot with 6 cups water and the cardamom seeds. Cook on High for two hours--your space will be filled with the divine aroma.
After those two hours, check that the rice is cooked and add two more cups of water. Stir everything around well so that the rice doesn't form hard clumps. If the rice is cooked but the grains are still discrete, turn the heat to Low. If it's not yet cooked, leave it on High for a bit.
Check back regularly and stir every 40-60 minutes for the next two hours (or more, depending on your crockpot), adding water if necessary. I added the coconut cream and sweetener on my first 'check' after turning it down to Low, so about three hours in.
The stirring helps to break down the rice grains and make the 'pudding' texture, without clumping or sticking to the sides. You may need to keep adding water to encourage this breakdown process. You'll know when it's 'done!'

I hope you enjoy this!
Is the sun adding colors to your world?
Have you entered my giveaway yet?

Although this might sound like a lot of 'minding' for a crockpot recipe, it was actually very easy. I was busy with other things and just waltzed through and checked up on it every so often.