Banana Pecan Rice Pudding Pie

(from eat, drink & be vegan)
 If you like rice pudding, you will want to inhale this dish! It is so creamy, sweet and comforting, it is surprising that whole-grain brown rice is used instead of white rice. The sliced bananas add natural sweetness to the pudding, and the sugar-pecan sprinkle topping… well that makes it even more ridiculously delicious!

Pudding Mixture:
1 tbsp arrowroot powder
2/3 cup coconut milk (regular or lite for lower fat)
¼ cup brown rice syrup
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ – ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
¼ tsp sea salt (rounded)
3 cups cooked short-grain brown rice (see note)
1 cup ripe (but not overripe) banana, sliced (one small-medium banana)

Topping:
¼ cup pecans, crushed
3 tbsp unrefined sugar (see note)
¼ – ½ tsp cinnamon
couple pinches sea salt
½ – 1 tsp organic canola oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, first combine the arrowroot with a few tablespoons of the coconut milk. Whisk through until the arrowroot is fully dissolved and incorporate. Then, add the remaining coconut milk, and stir through. Whisk in the brown rice syrup until mixed through. Stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and then stir in the brown rice and sliced banana. Transfer mixture to a lightly oiled (wipe bottom and sides with a smear of canola oil) 9 ½” glass pie plate. In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients, working mixture with your fingers until a little crumbly. Sprinkle topping over rice mixture. Bake for 17-20 minutes, until bubbly and thickened. Remove from oven and let cool for about 20 minutes or longer. (The pudding will thicken more as it cools.) Spoon out mixture into bowls and serve, surrounded by a little vanilla non-dairy milk if you like.  Serves 4-6.

Note: Cook your brown rice in advance. Some night that you plan to have brown rice with your dinner, cook an extra cup or so. Then, store the 3 cups of extra rice in the refrigerator, and you can put this recipe together in a snap… in fact, you can make this dish the night before then bake first thing in the morning.

Note: Coconut milk, either lite or regular, gives a buttery richness to this pudding, though you can use any non-dairy milk you like, including rice, soy, almond, or oat milk. If using vanilla non-dairy milk, you may not need as much brown rice to sweeten the mixture.