Sandwichs grillés aux légumes, à la tex-mex

Et voili-voilà, une dernière recette pour compléter mon rythme auto-imposé d’une moyenne mensuelle d’un billet par jour (rythme que j’ai maintenu en mars et en avril, mais qui va sûrement ralentir cet été). Il s’agit d’une recette d’inspiration tex-mex très facile à adapter avec ce que vous avez sous la main. Elle est basée sur une recette prise dans Coup de Pouce en février dernier. C’était excellent, et vraiment, pour le peu d’efforts qu’on y met, je pense que ça vaut la peine de garder cette idée en tête!

2 c. à soupe de mayonnaise légère
½ c. à thé de sauce chili (facultatif)
1 c. à soupe d’huile d’olive
2 tasses de légumes, au choix
4 grandes tortillas (de farine de blé ou de maïs)
2 c. à soupe de margarine ou de beurre (facultatif)
6 oz de fromage suisse ou gruyère râpé

Dans un petit bol, mélanger la mayonnaise et la sauce chili. Réserver.

Pour les légumes : vous pouvez utiliser une salade du commerce, de type salade de brocoli, pour vous sauver du temps. Moi, j’ai utilisé des carottes râpées, des poivrons coupés en petits dés et des oignons verts en tranches minces. C’est pas mal comme vous voulez!

Dans un grand poêlon, chauffer l’huile à feu moyen-vif. Ajouter les légumes et cuire, en brassant, environ 5 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que les légumes soient tendres.

Tartiner un côté des tortillas du beurre. Sur une surface de travail, déposer les tortillas, le côté beurré dessous. Tartiner le dessus des tortillas de la mayonnaise. Mettre le fromage et la préparation de légumes au centre des tortillas. Replier les côtés sur la garniture et rouler en serrant bien. (Si vos tortillas sont trop petites, ou si vous avez trop de garniture, vous pouvez les fermer grâce à des cure-dents.)

Chauffer un poêlon à fond cannelé ou à surface antiadhésive à feu moyen-doux. Ajouter les sandwichs et cuire de 2 à 3 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que le dessous soit doré. Retourner les sandwichs et poursuivre la cuisson de 2 à 3 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que le fromage ait fondu. Servir immédiatement.

La garniture est aussi excellente sur de petits bagels toastés.

Chocolate Pomegranate Bundt Cake

I’m going to share a quick chocolate cake recipe that I liked for its originality. It differs from other chocolate cakes both by the method with which it is made (the sugar goes in with the dry ingredients, and the butter is melted and mixed with the cocoa powder to make a paste) and because of the fact that it contains fruit juice. Pomegranate goes very well with chocolate, and it has the advantage of being full of antioxidants (dark chocolate has some, but pomegranate has more). I’m sure you could use another kind of juice if you wanted to, perhaps something like cherry or apple. The Engineer said this cake had just the right moistness! Note that I forgot to flour the pan after I had greased it, so I covered up the top of the cake with powdered sugar to help hide its flaws. That being said, since this is a chocolate cake, you should definitely use cocoa instead of flour in the pan, which will avoid white streaks on your cake.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¾ cup margarine or butter
¾ cup cocoa powder
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups pure pomegranate juice (such as POM)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 "F. Grease a 12-cup bundt pan; coat it with cocoa powder and dust off the excess.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, sugar, baking soda and salt.

In a medium sized, microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Whisk cocoa powder into melted butter until smooth. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, so mixture is warm but not hot. Whisk in eggs and vanilla.

Add chocolate mixture, pomegranate juice and chocolate chips to the flour mixture and stir until batter is well combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain visible. Pour into prepared pan.



Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached. Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes, then turn cake out onto a wire rack to cool.

Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Chickpea Salad with Lemon, Parmesan and Fresh Herbs

This chickpea salad by Molly Wizenberg is really just a variation on her chickpea salad with lemon and parmesan. The variations to this salad are pretty much endless (look at the original recipe for ideas), but I have to say that this is as good as it gets for a quick weekend lunch.

1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed, drained
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove, pressed
1/3 cup (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
coarse kosher salt

Combine rinsed and drained chickpeas, chopped fresh basil, chopped Italian parsley, fresh lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, and pressed garlic clove in medium bowl. Add grated Parmesan cheese and toss gently to blend all ingredients thoroughly. Season chickpea salad to taste with coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

No-Butter Chicken

This is a recipe I got from my friend Jen, who herself got it from someone whose husband is lactose-intolerant. It’s from Food Network Canada. The butter is replaced by plain lactose-free yogurt, to give the sauce a little creaminess despite the absence of butter. It was very easy to make, and I liked the blend of spices. (Note that I didn’t have garam masala on hand, so I used a liberal mix of cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper and coriander, all ground.) That being said, it didn’t really resemble the butter chicken served in restaurants, so perhaps it’s best not to look at this dish as a faithful recreation, but rather as a variation on Indian chicken dishes. I served it with homemade naan made with this recipe, though that was a complete bust as it tasted nothing like any naan I’ve had before – and I so love fresh naan bread! I think this chicken would be best served with rice and vegetables; you can adjust the heat of the spices to your taste.



2-3 Tbsp grapeseed oil
1 Tbsp chopped ginger
1 chopped red onion
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1 pinch chili pepper flakes
1 Tbsp garam masala
½ tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp brown sugar
¼ cup plain lactose-free yogurt
1 cup water

Put a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat and add oil. When it starts to get hot, add the ginger and onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until onion is soft.

Add the tomato paste, spices and salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes, turning the heat down to low. Add the chicken and stir well to coat it and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the brown sugar, yogurt and water, turn heat up to high and cook for 7 to 10 more minutes, till chicken breaks easily when pressed with a fork. Serve hot.

Gâteau aux amandes et aux bleuets

J’ai cette recette dans mon cahier depuis des années. En faisant une petite recherche Google, je peux vous dire qu’elle a été adaptée à partir d’une recette publiée dans Coup de Pouce, mais je l’ai obtenue d’un dépliant publicitaire. J’aime beaucoup ce gâteau, et en plus, il ne contient pas de gluten. Je pense qu’il serait aussi bon avec d’autres fruits des champs à la place des bleuets – peut-être des fraises des bois, tiens.

100 g amandes moulues
¾ tasse sucre
2/3 tasse semoule de maïs
2 c. à thé poudre à pâte
½ c. à thé sel
½ tasse margarine (ou beurre ramolli)
¾ c. à thé extrait d’amande
3 œufs
½ tasse yogourt nature sans lactose (grec de préférence)
¾ tasse bleuets, frais ou surgelés

Préchauffer le four à 350 °F. Graisser un moule rond de 9 pouces (pas un moule à ressort); recouvrir le fond de papier ciré et graisser de nouveau.

Dans un bol, mélanger les amandes moulues, le sucre, la semoule de maïs, la poudre à pâte et le sel.

Dans un autre bol, battre la margarine et l’extrait d’amande jusqu’à consistance légère. Ajouter les œufs, un à la fois, en battant bien après chaque œuf. Incorporer le yogourt au mélange.

Ajouter graduellement le mélange sec au mélange liquide, en mélangeant bien. Ajouter les bleuets.



Verser le mélange dans le moule préparé et cuire pendant 35-40 minutes ou jusqu’à ce qu’un cure-dent inséré au centre du gâteau en ressorte propre (ça m’a pris presque 20 minutes de plus cette fois-ci, alors le dessus de mon gâteau est plus foncé qu’à l’habitude, mais je l’ai déjà fait en 40 minutes).



Laisser refroidir sur une grille pendant 10 minutes. Démouler la gâteau et le laisser refroidir complètement.

Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash

I made this recipe from Bon Appétit in good part because it helped me use up the raw butternut squash stashed in my freezer as well as the cracked wheat (used instead of bulgur) left over from another recipe. It was a mitigated success, but I’ll take all the blame for it: I made some modifications that, in the end, made the dish too bland. I reduced the amount of chili powder by half (which was not necessary, as my chili powder is mild), replaced an onion with two shallots, and omitted the chipotles. I also didn’t use oregano, which I could have sworn I had, but didn’t (I threw in a pinch of thyme instead), and ended up not garnishing the dish. I would have a few modifications for the recipe, however: chopping the tomatoes and using less water (I did the latter anyway, just because my Le Creuset has its limits). The recipe below reflects those changes. What I loved about this recipe, though, is that the beans were still a bit toothsome, and with the cracked wheat, it gave a great texture to the chili; I didn’t miss the meat at all!

This is a pretty big batch, though, about 8 to 10 servings, but it freezes well.

1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
8 garlic cloves, chopped
2 ½ Tbsp chili powder (or less, to taste)
1 Tbsp ground coriander
2 14.5-oz cans fire-roasted tomatoes (chop the tomatoes)
1 lb good quality dried black beans, rinsed
2 chipotle chiles from canned chipotle chiles in adobo, minced (optional)
2 tsp dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
coarse kosher salt
2 ¼-lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into ½ inch cubes (about 3 cups)
½ cup quick-cooking bulgur
sour cream (to garnish)
coarsely grated hot pepper Monterey Jack cheese (to garnish)
diced red onion (to garnish)
chopped fresh cilantro (to garnish)
pickled jalapeño rings (to garnish)

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until soft and beginning to brown, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Sprinkle chili powder and coriander over; stir 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes with juice, beans, chipotles, and oregano. Add 6 cups water. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover with lid slightly ajar, and simmer until beans are tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours (time will vary depending on freshness of beans). Season to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Stir squash and bulgur into chili. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat until squash and bulgur are tender, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide chili among bowls. Serve with sour cream, cheese, red onion, cilantro, and pickled jalapeño rings.

Fettucine au poulet et au parmesan

Je ne voudrais quand même pas que vous pensiez que je mange juste du dessert, alors je vais partager quelques recettes de plats principaux que j’ai fait dernièrement. Cette recette est tirée du Coup de Pouce du mois d’avril, mais n’est pas indexée sur le site (alors que le numéro de mai est déjà sorti).C’était rapide, bien sûr, et assez bon pour que je la garde. J’ai choisi de mélanger le poulet et les carottes aux pâtes, plutôt que de servir ces dernières comme un à-côté. La recette fait en tout 4 portions.

9 oz de fettucine ou autres pâtes longues (sans gluten au besoin)
2 c. à soupe de beurre ou de margarine
4 carottes, pelées et coupées en tranches fines
1 ½ lb de poitrines de poulet désossées, la peau et le gras enlevés, coupées en cubes de 1 pouce
¼ tasse de pesto au basilic (maison ou commercial)
¼ tasse de parmesan râpé finement
huile d’olive, feuilles de basilic et poivre, au goût, pour terminer

Dans une grande casserole d’eau bouillante salée, cuire les pâtes de 8 à 10 minutes ou jusqu’à ce qu’elles soient al dente. Égoutter les pâtes et les remettre dans la casserole. Ajouter 1 c. à soupe du beurre et mélanger pour bien les enrober. Réserver.

Entre-temps, dans un grand poêlon, chauffer le reste du beurre à feu moyen. Ajouter les carottes et cuire, en brassant, pendant 3 minutes. Ajouter le poulet et poursuivre la cuisson, en brassant, de 5 à 7 minutes ou jusqu’à ce qu’il ait perdu sa teinte rosée à l’intérieur. Ajouter le pesto et mélanger pour bien enrober les ingrédients.

Répartir les pâtes dans quatre assiettes. Ajouter le poulet et parsemer du parmesan. Si désiré, poivrer chaque portion, arroser d’huile d’olive et garnir de feuilles de basilic.

Plum Kuchen

I have a lot of recipes bookmarked to try, and I usually have a pretty good idea of what types of recipes they are, classified by main ingredient. I know I have a lot with peaches and apricots, for example, so I am eagerly awaiting the right season to get started on those. In the meantime, since plums are back in the produce section and since I now have no problem with yeasted dough, I decided to make this yeasted plum cake (to make a dent in my plum recipes to try). It turned out to be pretty easy, as the hands-on time is minimal. It was also delicious, and the perfect way to start off plum season.

I arranged the plums pretty tightly on the cake, but you could use fewer slices, as the original Smitten Kitchen recipe illustrates. We got 9 servings. It’s best eaten within a few days, which shouldn’t be a problem because it’s good for dessert, but also as a snack or as breakfast.

2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water (105–110 °F)
2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup sugar, divided
½ tsp salt
½ cup lactose-free plain whole-milk yogurt(preferably Greek-style), at room temperature
1 large egg, warmed in shell in warm water five minutes
1 ½ tsp grated lemon zest
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ sticks (5 oz) unsalted margarine or butter, cut into tablespoons and softened, divided
¾ lb firm-ripe plums (about 4 small), halved and pitted

Stir together yeast and warm water in mixer bowl and let stand until foamy, about five minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.)

Add two cups flour, 2/3 cup sugar, salt, yogurt, egg, zest, and vanilla to yeast mixture and mix at medium-low speed 1 minute. Beat in one stick of the margarine, one tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. Beat at medium speed until dough is smooth and shiny, about five minutes. (Dough will be very sticky.) Scrape down side of bowl and sprinkle dough with remaining two tablespoons flour. Cover bowl loosely with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 ½ to 2 hours (I do this by putting the bowl in the microwave oven and leaving the door slightly ajar).

Spread remaining 2 Tbsp margarine in bottom of an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan and sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup sugar (I’m not 100% sure I added the remaining sugar, but if your plums are still firm, do use it). Cut each plum half into five or six slices and arrange in one layer in pan.




Stir dough until flour is incorporated, then spread evenly over plums. Loosely cover with buttered plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until almost doubled, about 1 ½ hours.



Preheat oven to 375 °F with rack in middle. Bake until kuchen is golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan five minutes, then invert and unmold onto a rack to cool completely.

If it quacks like a duck

If it quacks like a duck, looks like a duck and walks like a duck, then it’s a duck, right? Well, what about when it doesn’t quack like a duck? For the past few months, the Engineer and I have been seeing ducks that whistle. They fly in V formation, and when they are low enough, we can tell they definitely look like ducks. But they don’t quack at all, they whistle like some songbirds would. It turns out they’re black-bellied whistling ducks! I like having a name to put to that animal, and confirmation that I’m not crazy to think those ducks are whistling – though I do think somebody pulled the wool over my eyes when teaching me about barnyard animals and their sounds.

There’s also a little green lizard that I’ve referred to not once, not twice, but three times as a gecko, because that’s what a local had called it, and who am I to argue with a local about local wildlife I’m just discovering? But it turns out it’s not a gecko at all. I saw one do this, and I now know it’s an anole lizard. The green ones and the brown ones are from different species, but can on occasion cohabitate.

Enfin des fines herbes!

J’ai enfin des fines herbes dans mon jardin! Certains se souviendront ce dont avait l’air l’endroit où je voulais les planter il y a presque trois mois.




Puisque mes semis n’ont pas réussi, quand j’ai vu de belles fines herbes en vente à Central Market, j’ai sauté sur l’occasion. J’ai donc, comme prévu, du basilic, de la coriandre, de l’origan, du thym, de la menthe (deux sortes, même), du romarin et de la lavande. On peut voir, sur la photo du romarin, mes minuscules semis devant la plante achetée.





J’ai aussi donné un coup de pinceau à la pompe, qui a maintenant fière allure. Cependant, quand je l’ai rebranchée, elle ne pompait plus... J’ignore si l’Ingénieur va pouvoir régler ça.



On dirait aussi que, s’il n’arrive rien de catastrophique à mes agrumes cet été (ce qui reste à voir), on pourrait avoir des citrons Meyer à moment donné...

Biscuits aux morceaux de chocolat, avec sel

Comme vous avez pu le lire auparavant, je suis en train d’essayer de nouvelles recettes de biscuits aux pépites de chocolat, dans le but de voir non pas si mes trois meilleures recettes peuvent être remplacées, mais de voir si je pourrais avoir quatre ou cinq meilleures recettes. Les deux premières que j’ai essayées ont été décevantes, mais celle-ci était excellente, assez pour que je la conserve et l’ajoute à mon classeur de recettes. Elle combine des aspects de deux de mes recettes préférées : du chocolat coupé en morceaux, ce qui donne de minuscules brisures de chocolat en plus des gros morceaux; et du sel, que j’adore combiné à un biscuit au chocolat. La recette est tirée du blogue Not Without Salt, qui porte bien son nom. J’ai été enchantée de pouvoir utiliser le même sel recommandé par la blogueuse, soit le Murray River Pink Salt de la compagnie India Tree (je me cherchais justement une excuse pour acheter du sel rose). Par contre, de la fleur de sel fait tout aussi bien l’affaire. Cette recette fait environ 4 douzaines de biscuits, alors vous pouvez réduire les quantités de moitié au besoin.

1 tasse de margarine (ou de beurre)
¼ tasse de sucre granulé blanc
¼ tasse de sucre turbinado
1 ¾ tasse de cassonade pâle
2 œufs
2 c. à thé de vanille
3 ½ tasse de farine tout usage
1 ½ c. à thé de bicarbonate de soude
¾ c. à thé de sel de table
1 lb de chocolat (de la meilleure qualité possible), coupé en cubes d’environ 1 cm
sel rose ou fleur de sel de bonne qualité, au goût

Préchauffer le four à 360 °F.

Battre en crème la margarine et les sucres jusqu’à consistance légère, en raclant les parois du bol avec une spatule si nécessaire. Ajouter les œufs et la vanille un à un, en mélangeant bien entre chaque addition.

Dans un autre bol, combiner la farine, le bicarbonate de soude et le sel avec un fouet. Ajouter lentement le mélange sec au mélange humide, en mélangeant jusqu’à consistance homogène, sans plus.

Ajouter le chocolat et l’incorporer avec une spatule.

Mettre la pâte à biscuits sur une plaque recouverte de papier parchemin, environ 12 biscuits par plaque. Saupoudrer chacun d’un peu de sel rose. Faire cuire 12 minutes, jusqu’à ce que les biscuits soient légèrement dorés sur le pourtour et aient encore l’air moelleux au centre.

Beurre à l'ail

Une petite recette rapide, gracieuseté de ma mère. Cette recette de beurre à l’ail est rapide à faire et excellente. Idéalement, utilisez du pain baguette. Pour une raison quelconque, notre épicerie n’en avait pas. Il y avait de petites miches qui ressemblaient à des baguettes courtes; ça s’appelait « French Stix », mais la croûte était moelleuse, donc ce n’était pas des baguettes. Déjà qu’il n’y a ni brioche ni challah à notre épicerie, pourtant très grosse... J’ai utilisé un « pan de agua », mais la baguette aurait été mieux.

La faible quantité de beurre par portion, combinée à l’absorption d’autre nourriture, fait en sorte que même si cette recette n’est pas sans lactose, je la digère très bien.

4 c. à soupe de beurre à la température de la pièce (ou passé 10 sec au microonde)
2-3 petites gousses d’ail, émincées
2 c. à soupe de persil, haché fin

Bien mélanger et tartiner sur un pain baguette tranché, d’un seul côté sur environ 15 tranches. Envelopper dans du papier d’aluminium et mettre au four à 350 °F pendant 20 minutes. Servir chaud, de préférence avec des pâtes, mais surtout pas avec de la bourride (cette dernière n’ayant pas mon approbation).

A detective story

Almost two years ago, I noticed that some of my tops had tiny holes in the front, near the bottom hem. I first wondered whether it could be some kind of moth eating away at them, but eliminated that theory when I realized that the holes were always on the same spot, even though t-shirts and tank tops were not only stored in different drawers, but folded differently.

Since the holes always appeared near the area where my belt buckle hit, and since I hadn’t noticed any before buying a new belt on Granville Island in the fall of 2009, I thought “Hey! It’s this belt that’s wearing holes in my shirts!” So I stopped wearing it that winter, only to notice a hole on a new spring shirt in early 2010. I had never worn the shirt with that belt, so that theory was also eliminated. And my shirts kept getting holes in them. I thought maybe it was belts in general, then, that were problematic for me.

The best belt replacement I found was the Hollywood Hip Hugger, which is great for people like me who often have gaping at the back of their pants. It also eliminates belt buckle bulge under fitted tops, which is great. But I still noticed new holes, and I even wore a hole in the back of a shirt by leaning against a chair back as I was sliding down in a sitting position, because the chair rubbed against the metal clip on the hip hugger through the fabric. A light bulb dimly flickered on in my head as wheels started turning.

It was only last fall that I finally saw a hole being made, as I was leaning against the counter in front of the sink. The countertop rubbed against the button of my jeans and tore a hole through the fabric of my shirt in the process! It turns out I have the bad habit of not standing up straight (despite my mother’s admonitions), and I often lean against surfaces. Why did this start only a few years ago, when I had presumably been doing it all my life? I don’t know. I can only guess that it’s because I’ve been spending more time in the kitchen since I married the Engineer and started this blog.

I now have two solutions. First, wearing pants with an elastic waist instead of a button. Let me be clear before you turn me in to What Not To Wear: I’m not talking about sweat pants or anything like that; I’m talking about nice pants like the ones Reitmans sells (which are perfect for getting through airport security, fyi). Second, I now put on an apron anytime I’m in the kitchen, even if I’m just washing a few dishes.

I’ve also been able to rescue one shirt: the hem was a bit long to begin with, and it had been hit the worst. The front was so scarred that my improvised mending was a horrible sight, so I wasn’t wearing it anymore. I ended up shortening the hem: I removed an inch from the bottom, folded the edge over three times and pressed it, then sewed two straight lines in parallel and a zigzag line between them to keep the knit edge from coming undone. On the plus side, I’ve worn the shirt since. On the downside, sewing a knit fabric properly takes experience, which I don’t have yet, so it’s definitely not a professional-looking hem (not even decent-looking, in all honesty), and that’s why I’m not showing you a close-up.

Nutella Bread Puddings

This delicious, decadent recipe is courtesy of Baking Bites. It originally calls for challah or brioche, but our grocery store’s bakery stopped making them. I ended up using half a loaf of potato bread, because it had that yellow color I was looking for, and I cut off the crusts. I also used more of that coconut milk beverage instead of lactose-free cow’s milk, but that would have worked too. Of course, the Engineer prefers these babies cold, but they were SO good warm from the oven! I put my last one in the microwave for 20 seconds, and it was perfect. This makes about 6 servings.

5 cups cubed challah, brioche or equivalent bread (approx ½ loaf)
2 cups lactose-free milk
2 large eggs
½ cup Nutella
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 °F. Lightly grease six 6-oz ramekins.

In a large bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, Nutella, cocoa powder and vanilla until very smooth. Add in cubed bread and turn gently with a spatula to coat. Let stand for 5 minutes to allow bread to soak up some of the liquid. Gently fold in chocolate chips.

Use a large spoon or ladle to evenly distribute the pudding mixture between the prepared ramekins. Place ramekins on a baking sheet (you may want to line it with aluminum foil to catch any drips). Bake for 20-25 minutes, until puddings are puffed set.

Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Puddings may deflate slightly as they cool. Serve warm or cold, according to preference.