Pumpkin Bread Pudding

As the days are getting colder, everyone starts thinking of comfort food like this pumpkin bread pudding. And little outdoor critters start looking for a warm place to spend the winter.

Now I am a live and let live kind of gal, but I draw the line at certain things. Like a mouse running around my kitchen countertops.

One night a few years ago, I was sitting by a window reading while dusk was falling. Out of the corner of my eye, I suddenly thought I saw something dart across the floor and disappear around the corner. Upon further inspection, I chalked it up to fading light and an overactive imagination.

Tim came home shortly after, and I went upstairs to change for dinner, putting the whole incident out of my mind.

As I came back downstairs, I saw a movement in the kitchen, and this time was close enough to see that in fact, we had a mouse who was making himself at home, exploring our countertops.

”Mouse!” I whispered, although Tim remembers it more as a shriek (talk about an overactive imagination!)

My knight in shining armor came charging into the fray, brandishing the first deadly weapon he could find. Unfortunately, since we do not follow a medieval decorating style around here and do not have maces and broadswords adorning our walls, he ended up with a dish towel.

Back and forth across the countertop they went, the mouse always one heartbeat away from Tim, which was probably a good thing, since I’m not sure what he would have done had he actually trapped Mickey with a towel. Offered to clean his little mouse paws? Maybe poured him a nice cup of herbal tea?

Choice of weapon aside, I shouted encouragement to my hero. Or I may have just plain screamed things like, “Get it! Ewwwww! Aaaaaaaack!” Potato, potahto.

Finally, frustrated, and out of breath, Tim turned around and yelled at me: Stop screaming! You are scaring the poor little thing!!!

I’m scaring him? What do you think he’s doing to me?!? Also, I’m pretty sure you are a more immediate concern to him since in his mind, you are a giant waving a dinner napkin, chasing him down to eat him.

As luck would have it (for the mouse), he saw his opportunity to escape, hopped off the counter and disappeared under the sink. Tim was able to retire the dishcloth, and the next day, we sealed every itty bitty opening into the house we could find.

Ingredients:

6 cups of stale bread cubes (I used a whole wheat baguette) ** See note at bottom
1/2 cup monkfruit
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup almond milk
1 can pumpkin purée (2 cups)
1 cup silken tofu
1 Tablespoon Pumpkin spice
1/2 cup golden raisin ( optional, but highly recommended as they add sweetness and therefore you don’t need as much sweetener)
chopped pecans for sprinkling on top

** If you do not have time to wait for the bread to go stale, arrange 1/2 inch slices on a baking sheet and bake it at 250 for 5-10 minutes per side. You want it to feel stale, but not to become brown or toasted.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350
Meanwhile, put the monkfruit through the pumpkin spice into a high speed blender and purée till smooth.
Put the bread cubes and raisins into a large bowl and pour the purée over them, mixing with a large spoon to make sure all the bread is submerged. Allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes so that the bread will absorb the sauce.
Pour or spoon the mixture into a shallow baking dish, sprinkle the top with pecans, and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, till golden and pudding is firm. Do not overcook!

Vanilla Sauce to drizzle over: