One food that I’ve really enjoyed while on my macrobiotic eating plan is brown rice congee for breakfast. It’s a great gluten-free, sugar-free oatmeal alternative. I used to eat a bowl of oatmeal with chia seeds for breakfast every day, but I always sprinkled it with brown sugar. With the addition of soaked dates and apple juice to the rice congee while cooking, no refined sugar is required to make this yummy hot breakfast. It reheats really well, so you can make a larger batch and store in an airtight glass container (affiliate link) in the fridge for a faster meal the next day.

About the creamy rice cereal: you can buy creamy rice cereal already prepped (affiliate link) or you can make your own. I have not made my own, but apparently all you need to do is take brown rice and chop it very fine in your food processor. I would recommend starting with the pre-packaged kind to get an idea as to how fine to make the grains when you do venture to make your own.

About the soaked & pureed dates: I learned this from browsing vegan treat recipes! I buy organic Medjool dates (affiliate link) in the produce section of a large grocery or natural foods store. They should be stored in the refrigerator. I pop 5-6 of them into a small juice glass full of filtered water and let them soak overnight. When they become soft, it’s easier to squeeze the seeds out, if there are seeds. Then put them into a food processor and puree until smooth. With meatier dates, I sometimes have to add filtered water (not the water they soaked in, I throw that out) to help with a smoother consistency.

Sweet Brown Rice Breakfast Congee: gluten-free, sugar-free

1/3 cup unsweetened organic apple juice

1/4 cup soy milk

1/2 tbsp. soaked, pureéd dates

1/2 cup creamy brown rice cereal (buy here – affiliate link)

additional soy milk as needed

toppings, such as berries, bananas, nuts (optional)

Pour apple juice into small saucepan and begin to heat. Right as it begins to simmer, add soy milk and quickly stir in. When soy milk is warmed, add pureéd dates and whisk to combine. When dates have incorporated, add creamy brown rice cereal. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, adding additional soy milk when mixture becomes too thick.

Remove from heat, top with optional toppings.

Enjoy!