Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Something out of nothing: more savory bread puddings

I have really been baking up a storm lately.  It's definitely time for a break, so I made one last batch of pumpkin chocolate chip muffins for my kids' gymnastics teachers today and tackled one more project before beginning my hiatus (which I give a week).

I had some stale french bread (and when I say stale, I mean rock hard) and I had to decide: pitch, process into bread crumbs, or turn into a side dish for a night when I'm too rushed/unimaginative/lazy to cook? I went with door #3.

Much like Spinach Feta Bread Puddings, you can make savory side dishes using leftover stale bread along with any veggie or cheese you might have around.  Think onion slices from that bagel brunch, last of the olives in the jar, handful of sundried tomatoes. No rules.

Once I had sawed - and I mean sawed - the bread into chunks, I added:

3 beaten eggs (I had a lot of bread; if you have half a baguette or less I'd go with 2)
about 2 c chopped baby spinach
1 c diced orange peppers
about 2/3 c of mozzarella cheese
and enough plain soy milk (any kind you like is fine) to douse all the bread through and let it sit in the fridge for an hour or so.

As long as there's enough liquid to break your bread down, the amount of ingredients is completely flexible.

Scooped into spray muffin tin and baked at 375 for about 22 minutes.

These will not win any prize for their beauty, nor will they become a dinner party must-have, but they are a great way to turn scraps into something yummy. Get yourself a rotisserie chicken from the grocery and dinner is done!