Mushroom, Roasted Red Pepper, and 'Goat Cheese' Bread Pudding

Last night's bread pudding was so delicious I had to try another variation!

This time around, start by combining 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, and 2 minced garlic cloves in a bowl; set aside.

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 cups sliced cremini mushrooms, 3 cups sliced button mushrooms, 2 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps, 1 cup thinly sliced leek, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. black pepper - saute for 10 minutes - the mushrooms should be very tender and lightly browned.

As always with leek, I recommend slicing first, then washing in a sieve, to make sure you get the dirt from between all the layers.

Once the mushroom mixture is done cooking, stir in half the parsley mixture and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 (12-ounce) bottle of drained and chopped roasted red bell peppers, then remove from heat. Let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining half of the parsley mixture, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. black pepper, 1 and 1/2 cups plain soy milk (such as Silk) with 1 cup egg substitute (that's the equivalent of 6 eggs if you use Ener-G egg replacer i.e. 3 tablespoons powder whisked into 3/4 cup warm water), and 3/4 cup crumbled vegan feta in place of the goat cheese; stir well with a whisk. Add the mushroom mixture.

Add 8 ounces of day-old sourdough bread - a kitchen scale is a very useful tool here, since you definitely want to measure the amount of bread you have by weight, not quantity. If you don't have one, however, 8 ounces should work out to about 9 cups.

Stir gently to combine, and let the mixture stand for 10 minutes, then transfer to a 2-quart (8x11-inch) baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle the top with an additional 1/2 cup of 'cheese'. I actually forgot this step, but luckily remembered after the pudding had been in the oven for only about 5 minutes, and remedied the situation.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, then divide into 6 servings of 280 calories each.

Cost:
button mushrooms $2.79
shiitake mushrooms $3.99
leek $0.67
bottled roasted red bell pepper $5.99
vegan feta $3.69
sourdough bread $1.75