Health knowledge made personal
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Now, for my cinnamon rolls, this is what I did 2. Cinnamon Bread Pudding  I just adapted a traditional bread pudding very slightly to meet my needs. You can do the same thing with cinnamon bread, or really any yeast bread. I've seen where people do the same thing with quick breads like muffins and such, but I've never personally tried that so I can't vouch for it. At any rate, the end result will be something like French toast bread pudding... which is why I ate it for breakfast this morning! Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding 1 cup milk 2 TBSP sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 egg, slightly beaten 2-2.5 cups cubed dry cinnamon rolls or other bread Mix together the milk, sugar, cinnamon and egg until well blended. (You can do this quickly in a blender.) Place the bread cubes in a 1.5qt casserole dish and pour the milk/egg mixture over it. Stir well until combined. Allow the mixture to set for a while so the bread soaks up the liquid. Bake, covered, for 40-45 minutes at 350F. (Following these instructions will result in a more moist bread pudding, which is the way I like it. If you like it more dry, then don't allow the bread to soak up the liquid, and don't cover the baking dish). Traditionally, bread pudding is served with hard sauce, but I had some of this Cinnamon Syrup in the fridge, so i just used that. Mmmmmm! Like French toast, but better!  Is it QUICK to use up your stale bread like this? I don't think it takes all that much time, honestly. In particular, bread crumbs and croutons are very quick: just pulse the bread in a processor for crumbs, or chop it into cubes for croutons. Sprinkle with seasonings to taste, spread in a single layer on a pan and bake at 350F until it's dried. They can be store in an airtight container at room temperature for quite a while.Like I mentioned before, if you can't take the time right now, store it in the freezer until you can.Is it EASY? Very! You don't have to do anything complicated to save stale bread: if nothing else, throw it in the toaster or oven, or make French toast. Of course we know it's CHEAP! I never have to buy bread crumbs or croutons because I make them myself with leftover bread. And any time you use up something you would otherwise throw away - you are saving money! And is it HEALTHY? It all depends on the bread you started with. Is it whole grain with minimal, natural sweeteners? Then yes, it's healthy! |
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So I do my best NOT to throw food away, a battle which requires effort on several different fronts. For example: eating or freezing leftovers before they go bad, using even the bones of meat and the peels of fruits and vegetables to make stock and broth, only buying as much food as we will use before it goes bad, etc. etc. One element of this food fight is to come up with creative uses for almost-bad food, like past-ripe bananas or stale bread . It's still edible, just not in its natural form.
Here's my challenge to you: next time you have a partial loaf of bread wasting away on your countertop, don't throw it away! Get creative and see what you can do with it. Seasoned bread crumbs are an easy place to start. Or just crumble it up as is and throw it into your meat loaf or hamburgers. If you don't have time to deal with it before it really goes bad, pop it in a zippered bag in the freezer so you can tackle it when you do have a spare moment. (side note: you can do this with bread ends/heels, too: just collect them in the freezer and use them when you have a good amount)
I actually had two different kinds of stale bread on my countertop yesterday: cinnamon rolls and 1/3 of a loaf of wheat bread. I had tried a new recipe (the same bread recipe for both actually) and it wasn't quite the texture I was looking for, so we didn't eat it up as quickly as we normally would. I put both to use, in different ways, of course, and here were the results
1. Croutons (which became Chicken Zucchini Stuffing Casserole)
I cut the bread into cubes, sprinkled some Italian seasonings and garlic salt on them and popped them into a 300F oven for a little while. They dried out nicely into perfectly seasoned croutons, which I then used in the following recipe
Chicken Zucchini Stuffing Casserole
3-4 cups croutons or stuffing mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
1/3-1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
2 cups cubed or shredded chicken
1 TBSP olive oil
1 zucchini, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Some of these measurements are not exact because I forgot to measure them. It's not super vital to have the exact amount in any case.
Pour the melted butter over the croutons and stir until they are completely covered. Set aside about 1 cup of the croutons to use later as a topping. Place the remaining croutons in a 2qt casserole dish.
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the 2 TBSP butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for a minute or two. Slowly add in the milk and chicken broth, stirring all the while. Simmer until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in about half of the Parmesan cheese until it is completely melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the croutons in the casserole dish.
Heat oil in a medium frying pan. Stir in zucchini, celery, and onion and garlic if using. Saute until translucent and somewhat tender, but try not to brown them. Add to casserole dish.
Add the chicken to the casserole dish, also, and stir all ingredients until well combined. At this point, you can add an optional 1/2 cup of plain yogurt or sour cream for extra flavor, tang and nutrients. Sprinkle the reserved croutons over the top of the casserole, and cook uncovered at 350F for 35-40 minutes. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan over the top, and cook an additional 5 minutes or until it is melted.
This is a delicious and healthy take on the traditional chicken casserole that uses stuffing mix and canned creamed soup.