Dessert: Apple Raisin Bread Pudding

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Cinnamon, Apples

Health benefits of Apple Raisin Bread Pudding

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). Apples will improve your body's sensitivity to insulin (Reference: http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/1/281.full)

Ingredients

8 slices cinnamon raisin bread, quartered
1 lb Golden Delicious apples (2 medium), peeled, halved lengthwise, cored, and thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
3 cups half-and-half
6 large eggs

Instructions

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375 °F.
Arrange bread in 1 layer on a large (17- by 13-inch) baking sheet and toast until pale golden, 10 to 12 minutes, then cool on baking sheet. Leave oven on.
Meanwhile, toss apples with 3 tablespoons sugar in a bowl until coated. Cook in a dry 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, swirling skillet and turning slices over occasionally, until tender and pale golden, about 15 minutes.
Combine bread and apples in a 2-quart soufflé or 2-inch-deep baking dish (about 8- by 12-inch oval).
Whisk together half-and-half, eggs, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl, then pour mixture over bread and apples. Let soak at room temperature 15 minutes.
Bake in a water bath until edge is set but center still trembles slightly when dish is gently shaken, 50 minutes to 1 hour for soufflé dish or 35 to 40 minutes for shallow dish. Cool pudding to warm in baking dish on a rack, about 1 hour. (Pudding will continue to set as it cools.)