You are only human!!!

That's what Bobby told me last night when we were talking on the phone and I was sort of complaining about how I was struggling to keep up with the vegan diet.  He said that I shouldn't be so hard on myself.  And, yes, he's right . . . I'm only human!!! :)

So, I've decided that I'll make a concession here:  I'll try to eat vegan a couple of times a week, at least, and I won't feel guilty if I crave chicken . . . and actually eat it!  I'll just take it a day at a time and I think I'll feel better about myself this way.  It's not what I had intended to do but, oh well!  I'll try to keep posting vegan dishes every now and then, but I'll also post no-vegan recipes as well.  After all, I'm eclectic! lol

Having said this (phew!) . . . last weekend I was hankering something sweet and—in an attempt to use up things I had in my fridge/pantry . . . and keep it vegan—I came up with this recipe:

Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

• 1-32 fl oz carton of vanilla flavored almond milk
• 2-4 oz containers of organic apple sauce with cinnamon
• 2/3 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup fig preserve
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon mace
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup dried mixed berries (golden raisins, cherries, cranberries and blueberries)
• 4 cups day-old bread cut in cubes

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  In a 4.5 quarts (4.25 liters) bowl, combine all the wet ingredients (you might want to start with less almond milk and adjust the amount depending on how dry your bread is.), spices, salt, dried mixed berries, and walnuts.  Start adding the bread cubes and, with the help of a wooden spoon, try to break them down and mix well.  You should end up with a fairly stiff but still moist batter—your wooden spoon should stand up in the batter.  Pour the mixture into a rectangular 7.5"x12" baking pyrex dish and bake for one hour or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Turn off the oven and, with the door slightly open, let the bread pudding cool down.  The top of the bread pudding should be golden brown.  You can eat it warm or cover the baking dish with foil and put it in the fridge until the next day.  I prefer to eat my bread pudding the day after, cold and when all the flavors have completely melded!

I took 3/4 of the bread pudding to work and some friends tried it . . . no one could believe it didn't have any dairy or eggs!  But, what was more gratifying to me was that they all loved it!!! :)

You are only human!!!