Strawberry Coconut Bread Pudding (plant-based)

I had never tasted bread pudding before this, and now it’s one of my new favorite treats.

This plant-based version uses coconut milk for extra creaminess and strawberries for a sweet bit of tang.

It’s an excellent way to use up leftover bread and fruit. You can use any kind of fruit that’s a bit past its prime, or even frozen fruit in the wintertime.

Ingredients

• 6 cups old bread, ripped up into small pieces
• 1 cup soy milk
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups strawberries, fresh or thawed from frozen, and sliced

Glaze (optional)

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 Tbsp soy milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil

Directions

Cut up the bread and put it in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, mix together the soy milk, coconut milk, cornstarch, brown sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla, then pour this over the bread and mix to coat. Let it sit for 15 minutes to soak in and get all soft and moist.

Next, mix in the strawberries. Press the mixture into an 8×8″ pan greased with a bit of vegan butter or margarine, then bake at 350F for 30 minutes. The top will be a nice golden brown.

If you’re making a glaze, mix all the glaze ingredients in a small bowl, then drizzle it over the pudding after it has cooled for a few minutes. Serve your strawberry coconut bread pudding warm, and savor each marvelous mouthful! 🙂

Inspiration

As inspiration for all of us to creatively use up older food rather than throw it away, here are some statistics from the city I live in:

– More than 99,000 tonnes of food waste (avoidable and unavoidable – bones, eggshells, tea bags, fruit cores and peels) is generated annually.

– The average single-family household throws away over 200 kg of food waste a year.

– Avoidable food waste (leftovers and untouched food that could have been eaten) accounts for over 100 kg – over 50 percent – of all food waste generated by a household per year.

– Fruits and vegetables are the most commonly wasted edible foods (approximately 45 kilograms generated annually per household).

Turning potential food waste into yummy creations like this bread pudding can help us be better stewards of the precious resources of our planet. 🙂