Rice with Spring Peas, Asparagus and Mushrooms

You can call this risotto but I cooked the rice separately, so maybe not. It's still delicious, and much less labor intensive than true risotto.
As always, the quality of the ingredients makes all the difference. Local asparagus, English peas shelled from the pods, and a small amount of chanterelle mushrooms (along with "baby bellas") were the flavor stars here -- all enhanced by good quality shaved Parmesan cheese and a healthy shot of garlic.
Make the veggie melange, stir in the pre-cooked brown rice (Trader Joe's has frozen brown rice that you microwave, super easy and delish, too), top with the cheese and voila! Yummy.
I did this free form and will try to reproduce the recipe here. Substitute fresh morel mushrooms if you can get them.

Recipe: Brown Rice with Peas, Asparagus and Mushrooms
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2-3 T olive or canola oil, or a blend
2 cups sliced mushrooms, whatever variety you like
1 cup shelled peas
2 cups sliced asparagus
2 T minced garlic
Salt and pepper
1/4 - 1/3 cup broth or stock
2 cups cooked rice, preferably brown rice
1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and stir-fry until they begin to brown, about 4 minutes. Add next 5 ingredients (peas through stock) and stir-fry for 3 minutes to blend ingredients. Cover and cook another few minutes until veggies are crisp-tender. (Test with a fork, or try a piece of asparagus.) Stir in rice and cover again. Cook just until the rice is heated through, probably about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add cheese; adjust seasonings and add more salt and pepper, if desired.
That's it!

Comfort food made healthier: rice pudding

This pudding recipe is from my friend, Mary Ann Barnes. She excels at making healthy desserts, and her brown rice pudding is another winner.
Brown rice is much more nutritious than white -- though I love them both -- and the addition of lovely fruits make it a scrumptious ending to any meal.
By the way, I never cook brown rice from scratch any more, now that you can get the frozen boxes with microwaveable packets of pre-cooked rice.

Recipe: Brown Rice Pudding Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 14-ounce can low fat coconut milk

½ cup skim milk

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup unsalted pistachios

½ fresh mango, peeled and cut into bites sized pieces (or frozen mango, thawed)

4 fresh strawberries, sliced

Instructions:

Place rice, coconut milk, skim milk, cardamom and cinnamon in a medium sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until boiling, and then about 5 minutes longer, until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in pistachios. Cool a little, then spoon into serving dishes and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until served. Top with fresh mango and strawberries.