[Firebird Rising]

Blueberry Bread Pudding



I've made this three times so far and loved it. The original version came from The Country Kitchen Collection by Phil and Eileen Brewer, owners of a little bed and breakfast in British Columbia. Their recipe calls for another banana and sliced apples.

15 slices whole wheat bread, cubed
3 c soy milk
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 TB Orange Rind
3 TB honey
1 banana
1-2 cups blueberries, frozen or fresh

Blend banana smooth in small amount of the milk. Add salt, vanilla and honey to blender. Pour into bowl, add the rest of the milk and the orange rind.

Fold in the bread cubes. Add blueberries. If using frozen, thaw blueberries in a sieve with warm water, drain as much as possible and place in a small dish with a bowl of flour to coat the blueberries so they don't leak all over the place.

Pour all into greased 8X8 pan or casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until toasted on top.

*You can omit blueberries but would have to change the title to just "Bread Pudding" and that's not so exciting. Or you can use raisins for a traditional bread pudding.


---------- Post added at 11:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:43 PM ----------

Mushroom and Almond Spread

So, I didn't take a picture of this because pretty much, it's not very exciting, just brown mush looking stuff. But while it don't look like much, it's LOVELY on crackers, bread, or celery dipped in it.

1 cup almonds
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 1/2 c sliced mushrooms
3/4 tsp thyme leaves
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Toast the almonds in a 375 F oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes, cool.

Saute the onion and garlic 3 minutes in a small amount of water. Add mushrooms, thyme, salt and black pepper. Cook until the mushrooms are browned and liquid evaporated.

Toss the almonds in the food processor and grind 'em up good. Then add the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth. Chill before serving.


---------- Post added 03-15-2010 at 12:41 AM ---------- Previous post was 03-14-2010 at 11:06 PM ----------

Eggplant Potato Moussaka


Eating this tonight and can't seem to stop. Adapted from Veganomican, I've lowered the fat content drastically.

Vegetables
1 lb eggplant
1 lb zucchini
1 1/2 lb Russet or baking potatoes

Sauce
4 large shallots, sliced thinly
4 cloves of garlic, crushed/minced, whatever
1/3 veggie broth or red wine
2 (15 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
2 tsp dried oregano (I didn't have this today and it turned out okay anyway)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
salt

Cream
1 lb soft silken tofu
1/2 c pine nuts
3 TB lemon juice
1 tsp arrowroot powder, cornstarch, or tapioca flour
1 1/4 tsp salt or to taste

1 c bread crumbs (panko are yummiest)

Preheat the oven to 400. Oil/Spray with Pam three baking sheets, cake pans, or roasting pans.

First, the veggies... Wash eggplant, zucchini, and potatoes, trim off the parts that you probably don't want to eat, like the ends, bad spots on potatoes, etc. Slice all of them lengthwise about 1/4 inch thick slices. Sprinkle salt on the eggplant slices and rub it in gently. Set aside egplant in a colander for 15 minutes to drain. Then rinse in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.

Spread each vegetable type on a separate baking sheet/pan. It's okay if they slightly overlap. Sprinkle veggies with salt. Lightly spray the tops of the vegetables with Pam. The eggplant typically sticks to the pan the worst so be aware of that when prepping the veggies.

Roast eggplant and zucchini for 15 minutes. Roast potatoes for 20-25 minutes until slightly browned edges. Allow them to cool.

While veggies are cooling...in 1/4 c water in a large saucepan, saute the garlic and shallots until the water evaporates and they just barely start to stick. Add the wine and cook until the onions are translucent. Add in the tomatoes, oregano, cinnamon and bay leaf. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 12-14 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat, remove bay leaf and salt to taste.

Lastly, make the cream by blending the pine nuts and lemon juice. Add the tofu, garlic, arrowroot/tapioca flour/corn starch, salt and pepper. Keep scraping the sides with a spatula. Blend until smooth.

To build your casserole...Lightly oil a 9X13 in pan and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread 1/4 to 1/2 c tomato sauce, then add a layer of eggplant, of potato, more sauce and sprinkle with crumbs. Spread ALL the zucchini on top. Layer the eggplant, potatoes, sauce and more bread crumbs. Spread the cream with a spatula over the entire casserole. Scatter some pine nuts on top for garnish if you wish.

Bake for 35-40 minutes. The top will crack/split and lightly brown. Cool 10 minutes before serving.