Nothing says chill out (in a good way) like a creamy, comforting bowl of rice pudding. And when was the last time you had rice pudding? Too long ago, right? So maybe it’s time to make some, and this one’s pretty awesome: vegan, gluten free, made with brown rice and without refined sugar, and wait! It’s got a twist that makes it so good you’ll forget how healthy it is and just bask in its rice pudding magic.

There’s a trick that makes this rice pudding exquisite, and it’s this: drop some orange zest in with the milk and rice as it simmers. It passes along a wonderfully bright scent and hint of orange flavor that lifts this from a nice, homey comfort food into something cheerfully, remarkably delicious. I found this stroke of pudding genius in a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, circa 1962 or something like that, and to me it’s pretty much the best thing to happen to rice pudding ever.

It was so hard not to keep taking bites as I was taking pictures! Eventually the pudding won and I grabbed a spoon like a woman possessed and went to town. Photo shoot over – worth it!!

