Without a doubt, the best part of publishing a personal post like my Why I Gave Up Running post is reading all of the amazing responses people share.
Seriously, thank you all so much.
I’ll try to make the blog a little more personal in the future, although it’s difficult because most of the personal stuff in my life involves other people. To respect the privacy of my real-world friends, I have a rule to not write about them or post their photos, which is why most of the pictures you see on this blog are of just me.
For today, you get another recipe… with chocolate. Hopefully you won’t mind. 😉
I’m honored to feature a recipe today from Tosca Reno, a New York Times best-selling author and one of the most well-respected and influential figures in the world of healthy food. This bread pudding recipe comes from her Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook, which contains 150 meat-free recipes free of processed ingredients, refined sugars, and anything artificial (note to vegetarians: there is a chapter on fish).
The book, which comes with complete nutritional information for every recipe, is divided into ten chapters from breakfast to dessert. It also covers topics such as how to be a healthy vegetarian, eating vegetarian on a budget, and making fast-food and holiday recipes. Upon receiving the cookbook in the mail, I right away bookmarked at least fifteen things I wanted to make. With bananas, cinnamon, and chocolate chips, this healthy bread pudding was obviously on top of the list!
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Pudding
(Adapted from Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook, reprinted with permission)
- 2 1/2 cups (640ml) milk of choice
- 3 tbsp (45ml) arrowroot or cornstarch
- 1/4 cup (60ml) sucanat or sugar of choice
- 1/3 cup (80ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 5 cups day-old bread, torn into 1-to-2-inch pieces, lightly packed
- 2 extra-ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 to 1 cup (120-240ml) chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350F (177C). Grease a 1.5 to 2-quart ceramic dish and set aside. Thoroughly whisk together all but last three ingredients in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients, and stir to combine, mashing the bananas a little and allowing the bread to absorb most of the liquid. Scrape into the prepared dish, and press down to smooth the top. Let sit 15 minutes so bread absorbs more liquid, then bake uncovered until lightly brown and firm (about 30 minutes). Serve warm. For questions about this recipe or substitutions, please feel free to ask this recipe’s creator, Tosca Reno!
View Bread Pudding Nutrition Facts
Quick Giveaway!
For the chance to win your own copy of Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook, simply leave a comment answering the following question: What is your favorite meatless meal?
I don’t think I can pick just one favorite meal! One of my faves is baked tofu with bamboo rice and whatever veggies I have on hand. Good stuff. Thanks for doing the giveaway!
thanks for the giveaway! I am loving grain salads right now – farro with caramelized onions, mushrooms, beets & tons of goat cheese
Always a breakfast as my favorite meal: cranberry pecan flapjacks 🙂
Baked yams, home-made veggie burgers, and a side of steamed home-grown summer veggies.
My current favorite meatless meal is butternut squash mac and cheese made with nutritional yeast and broccoli
My favorite meatless meal that’s also a comfort food is homemade vegan mac and cheese!!
My favourite is sweet potato lasagna! Roasted sweet potatoes, creamy sauce and noodles layered with cheese!
This bread pudding just took on the #1 spot on my to-bake list! 🙂 my favorite meatless meal is your 1million vegetables lentil stew! (btw, I just made it for my mom this week and she went crazy over it! – great recipe!) I also love “fajita” salads made with fresh salsa, sautéed peppers and onions, black beans, and avocado.
I’m a big fan of veggie chili or beans and rice! I’m in college so those things are easy to throw in the crock pot and eat for dinner later!
Lentil tacos!
And I LOVE Tosca Reno!!
Homemade eggplant parmesan
My favorite meatless meal is my own quickie vegetable curry:
1 microwaved ‘baked’ potato, diced
1 onion, sliced (plus sliced peppers or mushrooms or just about any other sliced/diced veg)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 T curry paste of choice
– sauté onion in curry paste over med heat till onion is tender.
– add diced cooked Potato; stir to coat and sauté to brown a little.
– deglaze with tomatoes; heat to boiling, reduce and gently simmer to desired consistency. Serve (yourself!) as a stew.
Favorite meatless meal: mac n cheese!
I use different types of cheeses to mix it up, but its always a hit!
Spinach and mushroom bake.
Oh dear…just one favorite meatless meal? I suppose it totally depends on my mood, but I’m always a huge fan of microwaved cinnamon apple oat bran. That and chocolate sweet potato cake in a cup (adapted from your chocolate cake in a cup recipes, Katie!).
My fav meatless meal is hard to choose! It’s either rice and dahl with lots of hot mango pickle (I was born and raised in India, which explains my bias–and I was a vegitatian until Dx with multi-grain allergies) OR cuban black beans and rice with hot sauce–rice has been a great aid in coping with my wheat/gluten allergies!
One of the reasons I LOVE your website is because I’m not only allergic to most grains, but also milk…so use either soy or almond milk. It’s like your website was created just for me!
Lol I know the feeling. I used to be highly allergic to wheat and very sensitive to glutenous grains and milk; so this blog was a lifesaver for me. I’m recovered from my allergies now, with still some mild sensitivity to a few things, but I am sympathetic to those with such or similar allergies… I feel for you! Hope it’s not too hard!!