How to Make a Sugar-Free Bread pudding for the Holidays.

As an author of the health food blog, Spoonful of Sugar-Free, and a regular contributor to Healthy & Fit Magazine’s Web site, I am always looking for ways to transform ordinary dishes into healthy, sugar-free masterpieces. Being sensitive to sugar, all of my recipes are sugar-free. This recipe came about when my family decided to start a gluten-free diet. One day, my little sister was craving French toast, so we tried using a rice cake in place of the #bread. It tasted fantastic! Ever since then we experimented with rice cakes in multiple different ways, and found this “bread” pudding to be one of our favorite #desserts.

Bread Pudding is a great, traditional holiday treat. For those on gluten-free diets or calorie-restrictions, however, it could be a nightmare! This baked bread pudding uses rice cakes in place of the bread. No expensive gluten-free bread required! It is also an #innovative way to transform the plain, boring rice cakes into something festive. For under 100 calories per serving, who wouldn’t love this dessert?

Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free “Bread” Pudding with Almond Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

• 5 rice cakes

• 4 eggs

• 2 cups milk or #milk substitute (like #coconut, almond, or rice milk)

• 1 tablespoon vanilla

• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• ½ cup dried fruit pieces (like raisins, dates, #cherries, or a mix)

Preheat oven to 350°. In a bowl, beat together the #eggs, milk, #vanilla, orange peel, and #cinnamon. Next, break the rice cakes into small pieces and place them in a 2-quart square baking dish. Toss the rice cake pieces with the dried fruit, and pour the egg mixture over the top. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Serve warm, and if desired, drizzle the almond cream sauce on top before serving. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts (per serving): 98 calories, 3.5g fat, 12.5g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 4g protein

More Ideas: Try substituting some juice or juice concentrate for some of the milk. This will give the pudding more of a fruit flavor, and add a bit of sweetness. Also, try adding in some chopped nuts before baking. For those who wish to sweeten the dessert a bit more, try mixing a small drizzle of #honey or a few drops of liquid stevia into the egg mixture before baking.

ALMOND CREAM SAUCE

This optional cream sauce complements the bread pudding’s flavor. The almond extract gives the sauce an excellent taste, and the #yogurt gives it great #nutritional value.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain yogurt

• ¼ cup milk or milk substitute

• ¼-½ teaspoon #almond extract

Whisk ingredients in a saucepan until well combined. Heat over medium heat until warm.