My kids often find the downstairs part of our house freezing in the morning….all year long.  So my two girls in particular want something warm for breakfast when they come down the stairs.  They both love eggs and oatmeal but let’s get real…they are not going to eat the same two things for breakfast everyday.  And our mornings are hectic enough without me having to prepare a gourmet breakfast every morning.  So when we came across this recipe in a Martha Stewart Magazine some time ago we tried it.  It was great!  And it is so easy and fast to make.

If we have rice for dinner I will cook extra and use it the next morning for breakfast.  The original recipe calls for brown rice and that is what I try to use most often, but any rice will work.  The brown will give you a little more fiber in the morning if that is what you are looking for.  I also feel that the brown rice gives a little more substance to this cereal.  But really just use whatever you have.  That is the great thing about this recipe is that it really is for leftover rice.  No one in my house likes to eat the leftover rice because it is all dried out, but in this cereal you can’t even tell that it is leftover.  It soaks up the milk and syrup and is nice a moist again.

This recipe happens to also be gluten-free.  I know there are a lot of people looking for gluten-free these days and we are hearing of more and more so I thought I would offer a delicious and gluten-free breakfast.

Hot Rice Cereal

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked brown rice (or any leftover rice)
2 cups whole milk
3 Tbls. maple syrup
1 cup toasted almonds
1 cup golden raisins
cinnamon to taste

Directions:

In a medium pot, combine rice, milk and maple syrup over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 3 minutes.  Divide among four bowls and top with 1/4 cup each chopped toasted almonds and golden raisins.  Serve with a pinch of cinnamon.