Roasted Pumpkin Pecan Bread Pudding With Spiced Streusel

Waste not, want not it is said. When it comes to an ingredient that's fairly (to me) expensive, waste is not an option! Silly me, I thought an available-everywhere-this-time-of-year sugar pumpkin would be a reasonably priced ingredient. Not so. Am I the only one that thinks $12 for a small pumpkin is over the top? The good thing is that once purchased (yes, of course I bought one!), I had a lot of it to work with. 

You may remember the Smoky Pumpkin Vegetable Soup With Chorizo I shared with you about a month ago. Since I'd only used half of the roasted pumpkin flesh in the soup, I first made this recipe with part of what was left and froze the rest of the pumpkin. My frugal pumpkin bread pudding hit the spot and I filed the recipe away to use the rest of the pumpkin another day.

You know how sometimes an idea seems to percolate behind the scenes in your brain (is that only me?) until it seems to pop into the forefront of your mind fully formed? That's what happened. Apparently my subconscious was working in the background on pumpkin bread pudding possibilities. It must have gone something like this, "If roasted pumpkin in a bread pudding is completely wonderful, wouldn't toasted pecans make it even better?  Wouldn't streusel send it completely over the top?" I listened to that inner recipe voice and then totally gilded THAT lily with ice cream nestled cheek to cheek with the bread pudding. Nirvana.

If you want to make it really easy, feel free to use butternut squash in place of pumpkin and roast it...it would be less expensive than a fresh pumpkin, for sure. Or maybe you'd prefer it with roasted apples or pears. Those would work beautifully, too.

Looking for a homey Thanksgiving dessert? You may just have found it right here. 

Roasted Pumpkin Pecan Bread Pudding 

With Spiced Streusel

• 2-3 C roasted pumpkin cubes, cooled (spray pumpkin cubes with coconut oil and roast on a baking sheet at 425 degrees until the pumpkin is caramelized and soft)
• 5-6 C stale bread, cubed (I use the crust and all) - challah or a sturdy bread work nicely (I use Whole Foods Gluten Free Light White bread to make this GF)
• 2/3 C toasted pecans, chopped coarsely
• 4 T butter, melted
• 3/4 C heavy cream
• 1/2 C buttermilk
• 1/4 C demerara sugar (or light brown sugar if you can't find the demerara - Giant Eagle carries it)
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1 t pumpkin spice
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 3 T dark rum

Streusel

• 1/3 C toasted pecans, chopped coarsely
• 1/3 C dark brown sugar
• 1/3 C flour (I used gluten free flour to make this GF)
• 1/4 C oats (I used certified gluten free oats to make this GF)
• 1 t pumpkin spice
• 1/4 t kosher salt
• 3 T melted butter

Mix all the streusel ingredients together until all is wet and crumbly. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes and melted butter. Fold in roasted pumpkin and pecans and gently combine.

In a separate bowl, beat well the cream, buttermilk, eggs, sugar, salt, rum, pumpkin spice and vanilla. Pour the mixture over the bread mixture and gently combine.

Pour the mixture into an UNGREASED 9" X 5" loaf pan or 8" X 8" square pan - both with high sides. Sprinkle the streusel over the top evenly.

I used a loaf pan and baked mine for an hour and 15 minutes. If you use a square pan, the time may be less. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick or wooden pick into the center and when it comes out clean, that's it!

Serve with ice cream. YUM!

Hot from the oven!

Elvis Protein Bars

A really healthy, high protein recipe on Dinner Plan-it? Here's Kimber!









Well, look who is back again. Me! I know, I know...another long hiatus, but I am back for a post...and you'll be seeing a bit more from me too here and there.

Life is ever changing, to say the least. No longer am I a Clevelander. Once again, Pittsburgh is my home. Yep, you got that right, I've moved back after many years to help with my Dad.

One thing he needs the most (besides a new heart) is good food packed with protein, so along with homecooked meals loaded with chicken, beef, beans and lean pork (he won't eat most of the hospital "food"), I've been experimenting with protein bars, protein breads and all sorts of stuff to pump up his protein level. Somme attempts have been epic fails, some turned out okay, but the one I will share with you today is top notch. I can attest to this because my dad really liked these protein bars, I liked them, but most surprising of all, my mom LOVED them!

So here is what I have for you. It's a nod to Elvis' favorite peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich. The result is a little bit of rock n roll made up of a bit of smooth and crunchy peanuttiness, a little maple-y, banana-y sweetness, a punch of protein and the salty smokiness of bacon. Yes. Bacon. It's what I like to call Elvis Protein Bars!

For the protein, I used Muscle Pharm Combat Protein. It has an excellent nutrition profile and the taste is awesome. I purchase it through Bodybuilding.com or Musclepharm.com. You can certainly use other proteins, but of the ones I've tried I just found this to be the best tasting product for this particular recipe.

If you work out - like I do - or just need a pick-me-up during the day, this might be the rockin' recipe for you.

Elvis Protein Bars

• 1 1/4 C dry-roasted unsalted peanuts
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 2/3 C Muscle Pharm Combat Protein, Banana flavor (4 scoops)
• 2 C oats - I used certified gluten-free oats to make these GF (for my mom)
• 1 very ripe banana
• 1 heaping t cinnamon 
• 1/3 C plus a smidge more of REAL maple syrup
• 8 slices bacon, cooked very crisp (but not burned!), crumbled
• 1/3 C dark chocolate chips - again, use gluten-free chips if you're making these GF

Put 1 cup of the peanuts and the salt into a food processor and process until it becomes peanut butter (this takes a few minutes - be patient...it will happen). 

Add protein powder, oats, banana, cinnamon and maple syrup to food processor and mix with short pulses until it comes together into a dough-like consistency. If it's too crumbly, add a bit more maple syrup, if it's too sticky, add a bit more oats (the size of the banana can be a factor in this part). Fold half of the bacon into the mixture until mixed in evenly.

Take an 8" X 8" baking pan and line with parchment paper. Press the protein bar mixture into the pan evenly.

Chop the 1/4 cup of remaining peanuts coarsely and sprinkle over top of the protein bars, then sprinkle remaining bacon on top of that. Gently press the peanuts and bacon into the top of the protein bars.

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave and drizzle over the protein bars. Place the pan in the fridge for 20 minutes to set. Once they are set, cut into 10 bars.

Nutrition Per Bar: 277 calories, 28 carbs, 12 g fat, 18 grams protein, 182 mg sodium, 11 g sugar