Image by Paula Kaplan
I admit, I am a little hooked on Alicia Silverstone’s cookbook, The Kind Diet.
It’s not to say that I am interested in becoming a vegan or vegetarian, rather it is thinking about the composition of our daily diet and how that affects our daily functioning, mixed with a little bit of chemistry cooking, that really interests me.
Let’s get one thing straight, I will never stop eating as much cake and pastries as I want but if I can find a way to incorporate my love of cakes and healthy baking, I’ll do it! And yes, I am the first to always say “if you are going to do it, you have to do it right”, but that is when I say these recipes are all kinds of right, just a different kind.
No matter what anyone says, baking requires a recipe. Slight alterations can be done such as swapping plain flour for wholewheat, swapping fruits, spices and nuts etc.. but it’s the butter and egg thing that you were taught never to mess with. But apparently, there is a way…
Really, the only difference you are looking at is the flaxseeds and the almond milk, I’m sure most keen bakers have already substituted different sugars and flours in their baking. The flax seeds are a great little addition to this recipe. Not only are the incredibly good for you- full of fibre and omega-3 e.g…- but they really work as an egg replacement and you can’t even taste the difference. It certainly gives the bread a bit more nuttiness as with the almond milk, but I only see that as a plus.
As for the sugars, some may not be aware of muscovado sugar. Essentially, at the end of the day, yes they are still sugar but at if you are going to have sugar (and let’s face it) these are some examples of the better less refined sugars to use in baking. Dark or light muscovado sugar is a type of unrefined brown sugar that is sticky and moist with a strong molasses flavour. It has a low GI (Glycemic Index), which means the sugars are broken-down and released into our bloodstream gradually rather than giving us that instant sugar rush, that often leaves us exhausted. When produced properly, the sugar retains it’s nutrients and natural minerals that are inherent in sugarcane juice.
Nevertheless, this is a tasty recipe and that is what’s most important! The fact that it’s good for you is just the bonus. It is a great alternative to the usual banana bread and it does;t mask itself as a cake. This recipe makes 2 loafs or 24 muffins, so you can either half the recipe or make them all and and freeze them.
What you’ll need:
5 cups of cooked pumpkin, mashed*
2 cups light muscovado sugar
2 “eggs” (2 tbsp flaxseeds pureed with 6 tbsp water)
1 cup almond milk (soy or other nut milk will do)
¾ safflower oil
tsp vanilla extract
4 cups spelt flour
3 tsp baking powder
tbsp ground cinnamon
tsp ground nutmeg
¾ cup carob chips or non-dairy chocolate
1 cup macadamia nuts
Rye oats, to sprinkle
What to do:
Preheat oven to 180C. Grease two 22 x 12 loaf pans or two 12 hole muffin tins.
Combine pumpkin puree, sugar, “eggs”, milk, oil and vanilla in a mixing bowl. In a large separate bowl, place all remaining ingredients except rye oats. Incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry and mix to combine.
Fill the prepared tins with mixture and top with reserved rye oats. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until cooked through when a skewer is put in. Note if you are cooking muffins they will only take about 20 minutes.
*Note: For this you’ll need half a pumpkin. Scope out the seeds and place pumpkin in a baking dish, cut side up and bake at 200C for 45 minutes or until soft. Allow the pumpkin to cool, then scope out of the flesh and puree.
RSS Feed
Email
Facebook
LinkedIn
