On hot summer evenings, cold desserts beckon. Ice cream is a given. Sorbet or frozen yogurt not a bad choice either. But when it's really hot, my appetite suffers a bit so a more substantial, cool dessert has been a lifesaver this week. Creamy and cool, delicious and heart-healthy pudding with whole grains? Summer dessert nirvana.

Here we have puddings and cold desserts made with other grains including quinoa, buckwheat and farro. The nice thing about these dessert recipes is that they all don't rely on white rice, instead experimenting with brown rice and other grains that are higher in protein and fiber. So many folks are experimenting with preparing whole grain recipes at home from books like Good to the Grain and Ancient Grains for Modern Meals; now it's time to take that inspiration straight onto the evening dessert table. Enjoy.

Try A Recipe:
• Creamy Barley Pudding with Dried Cherries - Leslie Beck
• Buckwheat Indian Pudding - Cooking 4 Seasons
• Baked Farro Pudding - Domenica Cooks
• Apricot Rice Pudding Pops - Bon Appetit
• Vanilla Cardamom Quinoa Pudding - Enlightened Cooking
• Brown Sugar "Rice" Cream - The Whole Grains Council
• Roasted Barley Ice Cream - Foodista

Related: Coconut Milk Bread Pudding

(Image: Megan Gordon)