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Bread Pudding Stuffed Pumpkin with Creme Caramel Drizzle

 

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Happy Holidays Friends 🙂  Bread Pudding Stuffed Pumpkin with Creme Caramel Drizzle is a deliciously sweet treat to serve up to your family and friends during this beautiful season of gratitude.  Who doesn't love a moist, rich, fruit studded bread pudding… cooked up and presented in a pumpkin no less!

Bread Pudding Stuffed Pumpkin with Creme Caramel Drizzle takes a comfort food classic to new heights in presentation and flavor with its over-the-top-unbelievable Creme Caramel Drizzle – people, we're talking uncharted territories – this raw vegan caramel is so seriously amaze! 

As always, in true StyleNectar form, we're keeping all the indulgence and none of the guilt.  I've replaced cream with rich, full-fat, medium-chain saturated fatty acid boasting coconut milk,  butter for creamy, immune & beauty-boosting coconut oil, and delicious low-glycemic, nutrient rich coconut nectar for sugar… along with a gorgeous gluten-free crusty farmer's market loaf tossed with loads of moist raisins, plump apple-juice sweetened dried cranberries, sprouted pecans, ginger, cardamom and ceylon cinammon (I don't use cassia cinnamon as it's toxic & tastes no where near as delish as ceylon).   

It's as easy as tossing everything together, stuffing the pumpkin and next thing you know the house smells diiiii-vine 🙂   Prepare one larger pumpkin or several individual pumpkins… the choice is yours.  Regardless, how you do it, it's a show stopper and a sweet treat everyone will love and remember 🙂

 

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 This is my submission to Tinned Tomatoes & Lisa's Kitchen No Croutons Required & Bookmarked Recipes Challenges and to Ren Behan's Simple & In Season!

 

Recipe: Bread Pudding Stuffed Pumpkin w Creme Caramel Drizzle

(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 lb sugar pumpkin, a nice lid cut out of the top & set aside, seeds & stringy flesh removed
  • 1 cup, 1" cubed gluten free crusty bread
  • 1/2 cup pecans roughly chopped (as in halved)
  • 1/4 cup jumbo thompson raisins
  • 1/4 cup apple juice sweetened dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup large flaked coconut (optional)
  • 3 tsp EnerG egg replacement mixed w 1/4 cup warm water (the equivalent of 2 pastured eggs)
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil melted
  • 1/4 – 1/3 cup coconut nectar or coconut crystals
  • 1 tsp ceylon cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • sea salt to season interior of pumpkin, and to season mixture to taste
  • 1/2-3/4 cup coconut milk 

Creme Caramel Drizzle

  • 1 cup raw cashews soaked 6 hours & drained
  • 1/2 cup raw coconut nectar
  • 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
  • Sea Salt to taste
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla powder

Method

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350F.  Spread coconut oil around the bottom and sides of a deep dish suitable to house your pumpkin.
  2. Place 3 or 4 bread cubes around the interior bottom of the pumpkin to soak up juices.
  3. In a large bowl toss together the rest of the bread pudding ingredients, reserving 1/2 the coconut milk, until everything is well moistened and incorporated.  
  4. Layer the bread pudding mixture into the pumpkin being careful to distribute the nuts and dried fruit througout so it doesn't all end up at the bottom.  As you layer, drizzle the rest of the coconut milk, again helping to distribute it amongst the layers. Pack it firmly, and, since all pumpkins are shaped differently, if you have leftover bread pudding mixture, simply bake it up alongside in a couple of coconut oiled baking ramekins or tiny bundt tins.
  5. Place the pumpkin "lid" back on the pumpkin and bake for an hour 1/2 to 2 hours (checking on it after an hour 1/2) until juices are bubbling out and the skin is easily pierced with a knife.  The bread pudding will rise up out of the top of the pumpkin in a most satisfactory fashion!
  6. Meantime, make your creme caramel by simply whizzing up the ingredients in your vitamix until smooth and creamy.  Pour into a dish and place in the fridge where it will thicken further.
  7. When Bread Pudding is finished allow to cool enough to safely handle, then serve warm, either by the slice or by scooping it into small dishes, being sure to include the yummy pumpkin insides with each serving. Drizzle generously with Creme Caramel and drift off into bread pudding bliss!

  

Will you make yours in multiple pumpkins or one larger pumpkin like I did?  What are your Holiday plans?

 

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All Love, 

 Juliane 

 

Thank you for visiting 🙂  

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No-Wheat Thins with Aged Treenut Cheese & Cranberry Relish (Raw Vegan)

Stuffed Grape Leaves Casserole

 with Pomegranate Molasses

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Stuffed Grape Leaves Casserole drizzled with Pomegranate Molasses

 

Stuffed grape leaves (aka dolmades in Lebanon, dolmas in Iraq, dolmathes in Greece) have been one of my absolute favorites since I was a kid…

 Growing up (and maybe still? I should ask.) Mom and Dad would set out on their vintage cycles every Sunday morning during warm months for a 2-3 hour journey.  Dad, the consummate gentleman, always accommodated Mom's extremely leisurely pace which my sister and I giggled over while peeking through the living room curtains to watch them depart – overcome with a glee that came only from having three hours to do exactly as we pleased – while they wobbled away like bicycle tourists in their own driveway, the two of us eagerly plotting our next move, wondering if they might not topple right over going that slow.  

Alas, they covered a lot of ground!  

Choco Ladies

Their excursions took them everwhere from the far depths of the east side, downtown into the flats and many times, through the valley – my sister's and my destination of preference.  Not that, selfish as we were then, we really cared where they went- it was just that trips to the valley meant they returned with bunches of grape leaves carefully packed into their cargo holders… aka Stuffed Grape Leaves for Dinner!!!

Mom made the BEST stuffed grape leaves – and til now, I'd never been quite satisfied with any recipes (even those from Lebanese restaurants) other than hers- simply because she used FRESH grape leaves rather than jarred.  Once you've tried both, the difference is quite discernable; the texture of jarred or canned grape leaves is much softer with a muddled flavor.  

"Wait!"  You cry.  "I don't have access to fresh grape leaves!"  

No problem!

I have TWO solutions for you… Not only does my casserole version bake the leaves in a manner which seems to completely remedy the softness and flavor issues even if you DO use jarred, but, I've also discovered a fresh substitute for grape leaves in collard green leaves (my new preference!)  Yes, that's right.  Collard greens provide the freshness jarred grape leaves lack, plus they're larger & therefore quicker/easier to use.  Parboiling softenes them up to a lovely texture.  Either way you make it, the recipe will be amazing.

This aromatic, middle-eastern dish brimming with pistachios, raisins, brown rice and mint is certain to become a family hit at your house also!  Jim, the gorgeous, agile & shredded (apologies, I digress) boxer of our household, loves when I make it for him- in fact the collard greens are his preference too 🙂

Please enjoy!

Love,

Juliane

 

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Stuffed Grape Leaves Casserole topped with sliced lemon & Pomegranate Molasses 


Recipe for Stuffed Grape Leaves Casserole (Serves 8)

Adapted from Vegetarian Times

Ingredients

  • 30
    jarred or fresh grape leaves or 1 bundle collard greens, stems removed
  • 2 Tbs. olive oil (+ additional for brushing top of casserole & dish)
  • 1
    large onion, diced
  • 1
    cup brown rice
  • 2
    cups low-sodium tomato juice
  • 1 cup chopped unsalted, hulled pistachios
  • 1
    cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1
    cup chopped fresh mint
  • 1
    cup raisins
  • ¼
    cup fresh lemon juice
  • thinly slivered lemon slices for garnish
  • Pomegranate
    molasses     (or concentrate) for drizzling, optional

Method

1. Dip grape leaves or collard leaves, depending on which you're using, into large pot of boiling water 2 minutes.
Drain, and set aside.

2. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion,
and sauté 7 to 10 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Add rice and 2 1/2 cups
water, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 30 to 40
minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, and stir in tomato
juice, pistachios, parsley, mint, raisins, and lemon juice. Season with salt
and pepper, if desired. (Mixture will be very wet.)

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush 2-qt. baking dish with olive
oil. Pat grape leaves (or collard leaves) dry. Line bottom and sides of baking dish with grape (or collard) leaves, allowing leaves to hang over sides. Spread half of rice mixture over
grape leaves. Top rice with more grape (or collard) leaves, then top with remaining rice
mixture. Cover casserole with remaining grape (or collard) leaves, and seal by folding over leaves around edges. Brush top with olive oil. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or
until grape or collard leaves on top darken and casserole looks firm and dry.

4. Dip knife in cold water. Cut straight down with tip of
knife to make 8 servings, then remove servings with spatula. Garnish with lemon
slices, and drizzle with pomegranate molasses (if using- I love!).

5. This dish freezes beautifully for fabulous leftovers on busy nights!

 

What are some of your fondest food or otherwise memories growing up?

Did you & your sibblings look forward to your parents leaving you "home alone?" :-) 

 

You may also enjoy: Marinated Mushrooms

or

The Happy Shake!

 

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