Pumpkin Bread Pudding

It's finally November and Thanksgiving is approaching us!!  Halloween was yesterday and pumpkins are everywhere!  Even though it's over pumpkins are still here to stay for a while... I always love this time of year, pumpkin pie, squash of all varieties, pumpkin pancakes, and even pumpkin bread pudding! This recipe is a great brunch dessert, or make it on thanksgiving instead of pie.  I pretty much was experimenting when I made this recipe but I tested it out with my family and it was a huge success!!  Even my dad who claims he doesn't like pumpkin and cinnamon, enjoyed!  I think you will enjoy too!

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

(serves 12)

1 loaf of challah, broken into large chunks

4 eggs

1 (15 oz.) can on pumpkin puree

2 cups non-dairy vanilla soy milk

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

(You can also use pumpkin pie spice)

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or good vanilla extract

Combine eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, vanilla, and spices in a bowl and whisk until combined.  Pour mixture over chunks of challah and let soak for a 2-8 hours.  

When you are ready to bake the bread pudding, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a rectangular baking sheet.  I used Pam non-stick spray.  If you would like to add chocolate chips (or non-dairy carob chips) you can add that into the challah mixture now, and mix to incorporate the chips.  About 1/2 cup.  Place pudding mixture into the baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 1 hour, until golden around the edges. Serve warm with spiced whipped cream (see recipe below).

Spiced Whipped Cream

1 cup non-dairy whipping cream (or regular whipping cream)

2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Place all ingredients in a glass bowl.  Using a hand mixer, mix the cream until soft peaks form.  Place in the fridge until serving.

Pumpkin Pancakes

When I got home from work today, I was craving something sweet yet filling, and I remembered I had a little pancake mix left in the pantry.  I also had a can of pumpkin that I've been saving to make a pumpkin bread pudding.  I had just come back from the store and had all the ingredients for the bread pudding so I began to prepare it.  Then I had an idea to take a little of the pumpkin puree and mix it into the pancake batter.  I've seen recipes for pumpkin pancakes around the web but never tried it. So, I went for it! 

Pancakes were the perfect sweet and filling meal to have!  I'm considering it as my dinner...because who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?!  And I even saved one for lunch tomorrow! Now I'm pretty sure you can use any pancake mix that you have on hand and just follow this recipe.  I added chocolate chips to mine but you don't have to. This recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc.  Also, if you want more of a pumpkin taste, try adding more pumpkin and let me know how it comes out!

Pumpkin Pancakes

(makes 4 large pancakes)

1 cup of any pancake mix

1 egg

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

2/3 cup milk

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

chocolate chips, about 1/4 cup (optional)

Mix all ingredients, except the chocolate chips, together in a bowl and whisk until smooth.  If the batter seems too thick for you add a little more milk and whisk it in.  Place a non-stick pan greased with non-stick spray or butter over medium heat.  Pour about 1/4 cup of batter  in the pan and let cook until bubbles form, 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook the other side for an additional 2-3 minutes, until golden brown.  (If you are using chocolate chips, sprinkle them on pancake after pouring the batter but before bubbles form.)   Enjoy with your favorite syrup!

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie

Thanksgiving is around the corner and pumpkins are in season now, what better to make than pumpkin pie???  It's my all time favorite pie, and I make a damn good one!  And for all you kosher people, this recipe is dairy free, made with pareve margarine and pareve vanilla soy milk.  Westsoy makes a great one!  I made this dessert for my 100th post celebration because I am scheduled to do a cooking demo in November and I'm planning to show some Thanksgiving recipes and needed to try it out beforehand.  So here you go...

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie Sugar Crust
(makes crust for 2 pies)
1 1/2 stick unsalted pareve margarine, room temperature (I use Fleischmann's)
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste OR good vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour

Cream margarine and sugar in a bowl with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla to margarine mixture, mix until well combined.  Add flour slowly to mix, and mix just until combined.  Use hands to form dough into 2 balls, cover both with saran wrap and place in fridge for 2 hours.

NOTE: I think this recipe works best using a tart pan rather than a pie dish, if you choose to use a pie dish, cooking time will be longer and dough might get more browned, but it should still be fine!

Non-Dairy Pumpkin Pie Filling
(makes enough for 1 tart)
3 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
1/4 cup sugar
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ginger (optional)
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup vanilla soy milk (non-dairy)

In a large bowl, combine eggs, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla, spices, and pumpkin puree.  Mix until well combined, using a hand mixer. Add soy milk.  Mix to combine. Set aside.

Remove 1 dough ball from fridge and flour your work surface.  Roll the dough out into a large circle. Place dough over a greased tart pan and use fingers to pinch it in around the edges and bottom of the pan. Place tart shell on a baking sheet and pour pumpkin filling into tart shell almost to the top.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. The pie is ready when the middle is set and not jiggly.

If you have leftover pie filling and dough make mini pumpkin pies.  If you don't have leftover dough but have the filling, you can make a pumpkin bread pudding.  Pour batter over challah or bread chunks in a greased baking dish and bake for about 40 minutes.  Or you can pour pumpkin filling into greased ramekins and make pumpkin pudding by baking them for about 30-40 minutes or until firm in center.

Happy 100th Post!!

It's finally here!!  My 100th post!!  I celebrated this past weekend with a bunch of friends and now it's time to write all about it.  Sorry it took me so long to get it up!  Anyways, I can't believe it's been nearly 8 months of blogging!  I've had one giveaway and a couple of shout outs on Mile-Posts, a blog written by my runner friend Dorothy, and I'm scheduled to do a Thanksgiving-themed cooking demo in November!

I've cooked and baked more than ever before and have fed a lot of friends and family, and of course sisters (and brothers).  I've thoroughly enjoyed all your comments, suggestions, and ideas on the blog and on my Facebook fan page!  Please keep up all the good work and continue.  Also, if you make any of my recipes I'd love it if you could upload pictures to the FYS Facebook page.

I am currently at 192 Facebook fans.  My goal is to get many more fans and to do that I need your help!!  Please visit the page, you can access it by clicking here.  Once you are there under the profile picture (Which is a picture my new apron that I got as a gift from my friend Sarah at my 100th post celebration.) there's a link that says Suggest to Friends.  When you click on that you can invite friends to join Feed Your Sister on Facebook!  Let's see how many fans we can get together!

Now onto the menu for the 100th post celebration.  I decided on going back to my Israeli roots and making a Meditteranean/Israeli themed meal.  On the menu was potato and feta bourekas, shakshuka, and a carrot and cucumber salad.  For dessert I made a non-dairy pumpkin pie (I chose this dessert because it's one of the recipes I had to try out for the cooking demo). Here's a few pictures of some friends enjoying my good eats!

Potato and Feta Bourekas

(makes 18 bourekas)

1 box Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry, thawed

8 medium yukon gold potatoes (or any potato you like)

1 pound Israeli Feta, crumbled (or any feta you like)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup olive oil

1 egg + 1 tablespoon water, scrambled (for egg wash)

1 cup sesame seeds (for topping the bourekas)

all purpose flour for dusting

NOTE: You can either peel the potatoes before boiling or after.  If you choose to peel before boiling, peel and then cut into large chunks to speed up boiling process.  If you choose to peel them after, boil the potatoes whole and once cooked peel skins off.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Once the water is boiling, place potatoes in the pot and let cook until fork tender, about 30 minutes (or sooner if they were cut in chunks). Drain and let potatoes cool slightly and peel the skins off.  Place peeled potatoes back into the hot pot along with the olive oil, salt, and crumbled feta.  Mash together until smooth.  (If you want to make a smoother consistency you can add more olive oil or butter or cream, if you like that.)  

Set potato mixture aside.  Sprinkle flour on a marble surface or piece of parchment paper.  Roll the dough to make a large rectangle and cut pastry into 9 squares. 

Place about 2-3 tablespoons of the potato mixture in the center of each pastry square.  

Fold square corner to corner, to make a triangle shape, and seal with the prongs of a fork around the edges.

 Use a pastry brush to brush on egg wash over each bourekas and sprinkle generously with sesame seeds.

Repeat all steps using the second sheet of puff pastry from the box. 

Bake bourekas on a greased baking sheet for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.  

To Freeze: Do not bake!  Freeze them on a baking sheet for about 2 hours and then transfer frozen bourekas into ziploc bags.  To cook, thaw out and bake as directed above.

Enjoy!

Stay tuned for the other recipes coming this week!