Category: nutmeg

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

I remember my mother making chocolate bread pudding, my father’s favorite, when she had stale bread. That usually happened in the fall and winter months since bread pudding really is a heavy dessert that wouldn’t go well during warmer months. Yet this gluten-free bread pudding I found to be much lighter than what I remember. I haven’t had or made bread pudding in years although it’s come to my attention a lot in recent months watching bakers make a variety of bread puddings on the Food Network. And of course, there was a long stretch when bread just wasn’t a part of my diet since I wasn’t particularly fond of those bricks of rice bread that crumbled if you tried to eat them and weren’t really that tasty. But gluten-free breads have come a long way in the last several years. I hope you enjoy this as much as my family did! Feel free to change up whatever you need to for your family’s tastes. For example, if nuts are in your diet, chopped walnuts or pecans would work instead of the pumpkin seeds. And raisins or currants can be substituted for the dried cranberries. Serves 8-12 depending on serving size.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9×15″ baking pan. In a large bowl whisk to combine:

  • 1 cup date sugar (or coconut; syrups would work as well)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or allspice)
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 15ounce can pumpkin puree
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder (because we’re not adding any eggs)
  • 2 tablespoons arrowroot
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin protein powder

Add:

  • 3 cups non-dairy milk (anything except soy)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk until smooth before adding:

  • 6 cups diced stale bread (I used an entire 8 ounce loaf, 12 slices)
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Stir to combine and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. I let mine sit in the fridge for almost 2 hours before I got around to baking it. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and bake 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let stand at least ten minutes before serving. Serve warm with your family’s favorite “nice” cream or non-dairy creamer if desired. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Pumpkin French Toast

So good it doesn’t need maple syrup, not that you shouldn’t feel free to top this toast with a little. There is maple syrup in the recipe, so it already has some sweetness. I found putting syrup on the toast masked the flavor of the pumpkin and spices so if you must, a little dab’ll do you as the old saying goes. Of course, you can substitute sweet potato or squash puree for the pumpkin and the spices can also be altered depending on your family’s tastes.

In a one-inch-deep bowl combine:

  • 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1 tablespoon arrowroot
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin protein
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or allspice)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt

Whisk together until well combined. Over medium high heat, in a large skillet heat:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Using a total of 8 slices of gluten-free bread, soak slices in the mixture (I found pressing down on the second side helps it absorb the pumpkin mixture). When the oil is hot, add the bread. Continue dipping slices until the skillet is full. Brown on the first side for about 3-4 minutes before turning and cooking on the second side for about the same time or until brown and crispy. You may want to turn them several times to get all sides browned and crispy. Add more slices as you remove those that are cooked. The last slice may need a little help absorbing the liquid since most of it will already be used. I took a spoon and scrapped the last remaining mixture onto the second side. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings of 2 slices each.

Old Fashioned Cake Donut Muffins

It’s a snowy day here in Minnesota so I’m stuck at home. Days like this always give me an urge to bake. It comes from the days, growing up, when my father who worked for the Town road crew, could be out all day and often into the night plowing snow and salting the roads. He’d stop home once or twice in a twelve-hour period and be hungry and want a fresh thermos of coffee. On days like that, I’d bake cookies, muffins, cupcakes, anything portable but his favorite thing was my old fashioned cake donuts. I found a recipe yesterday, not allergy friendly of course, for donut muffins (Dianne on allrecipes.com) and I managed to make it allergy free. Hope you enjoy these. Make a single batch (6-7 small muffins) or a double batch (12-14). Either way, it takes longer to measure out all the ingredients than it does to mix them together and get the dough in the muffin tin! Very quick and easy.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a mini or small muffin tin and set aside. For a single batch, in a medium bowl combine:

1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons date sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (those of you who follow me regularly know I don’t like nutmeg but in old fashioned donuts, it just has to be nutmeg!)

Stir to combine before adding:

1/2 cup non-dairy milk

2 tablespoons avocado oil (or any melted butter, margarine or shortening)

Stir until just combined. Portion into the baking sheet. Try to get all the muffins around the same size. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes or so before removing from the baking pan. If desired, top with the following:

Dip each muffin’s top into:

1/4 cup avocado oil (or melted butter, margarine or shortening of your choice; should be enough for all the muffins)

Then dip into a mixture of:

1/4 cup date sugar

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (cinnamon, allspice, etc., would also work just fine)

Let cool a few more minutes before serving, if they last that long!

*I used a small muffin pan (about 2″ diameter at the top and a double batch made 12).