Vanilla!

I love using vanilla beans and am always on the lookout for recipes with vanilla that suit our allergies.

I got this one for vanilla pudding from Kari's blog, and adapted it.


GFCF Vanilla Pudding

2 2/3 cups coconut milk, divided
1/2 cup vanilla sugar*
1/4 cup organic cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 vanilla beans, seeds removed
1 large organic free-range egg

Slice down the sides of the vanilla beans and scrape out the seeds. Save the beans.

Combine vanilla sugar, cornstarch, sea salt, and vanilla seeds in the bottom of a medium-sized, heatproof bowl. Gradually whisk in 2/3 cup of the coconut milk, a little at a time; then whisk in the egg. Set aside.

Bring the remaining 2 cups coconut milk and the vanilla beans to a boil in a medium saucepan. Once it is boiling, remove vanilla pods, and very gradually add the coconut milk to the mixture in the bowl, whisking constantly.

Return the mixture to the saucepan, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Once it comes to a simmer, cook one minute longer.

Pour into a bowl. Place a piece of waxed paper on top of pudding to prevent a film from forming. Cover and chill in refrigerator until set, about 2 hours.

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Another vanilla treat we had recently is Hot Vanilla. So good on a cold day...

GFCF Hot Vanilla

1 c coconut milk
2 tsp vanilla sugar*
½ tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix vanilla sugar and cinnamon in a small saucepan.
Add vanilla extract, stirring until dissolved.
Add coconut milk; stir. Heat gently until warm, stirring occasionally.
Pour into a large mug and enjoy!

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*Vanilla Sugar

2 vanilla beans
2 cups organic sugar

Place sugar in a large mason jar.

Slice down the sides of the vanilla beans and scrape out the seeds. Add to the sugar. Add the beans to the sugar. Cover the jar and shake well. Let sit for a couple of weeks, shaking the jar occasionally to mix.

If you don't want to wait for weeks, Kari also shared in this post how to make instant vanilla sugar. I made it and it's wonderful, but I didn't use it in the pudding because I already had vanilla sugar made up. I don't see why it wouldn't work in the pudding recipe, though.

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