Humpastry Day!

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Bread

So you may be asking yourself, "What does Humpastry Day have to do with training for triathlons?"  Well, a lot if you're in the midst of training, losing weight, or getting slim and trim....like I am.  I think a lot of times our need to be fit gets the best of us and we deprive ourselves of foods/sweets that we really enjoy.  But, I am a firm believer that you can eat anything you want as long as it's in moderation, and especially if it's full of healthier ingredients.   Since becoming a semi-vegan/vegetarian I have really been trying to find healthier ingredients to replace those that are found in almost every cookbook.  You know what I'm talking about....white flour, butter, white sugar...  So, when I came across this recipe from the Nomeatathlete blog, I decided to give it a try.  This will be my third time making this bread!  It tastes super yummy and is great for breakfast or a healthy snack! Because this recipe makes 2-8" loaves, I usually freeze one to have at a later time, which is a huge time saver...especially when you realize you haven't made it to the grocery store and you have nothing to feed the fam. for breakfast!  I've tweaked the recipe a little bit to get an extra dose of calcium and iron by using a little bit of amaranth flour.

What's amaranth flour you say?  Well, I first came across amaranth in the book, "Thrive" by Brendan Brazier and was intrigued.  If you don't know anything about it, here are some little tidbits of info:
*  Amaranth is high in calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, and vit. A&C
*  It is composed of about 17% protein and is rich in Lysine, which is important for the absorption of calcium from the digestive tract.  Lysine is difficult to find in plant-based foods, which is pretty much all we eat, so amaranth is a great addition to any vegetarian/vegan diet.
*  Ounce for ounce, amaranth has twice the calcium of cow's milk
*   With about a 90% digestion rate, it is easy on the digestion system and is considered a high net-gain food.
*   With about 3 times the fiber of wheat flour and 5 times the iron, amaranth flour is a good addition to baked goods and its inclusion is an easy way to boost nutritional value.  But, because of its strong, sweet flavor, it is best used as a secondary flour.  You can substitute up to 1/4 of the recipe's flour with amaranth flour.

Pretty interesting huh?  Up until reading "Thrive" I had never even heard of amaranth flour and now I try to incorporate it in as many baked goodies as I can.   I'm all about trying to make sweet things a little healthier! Now, if only there was a way to make reeses peanut butter cups and dairy queen blizzards healthier... :)

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Bread
Makes 2 - 8" loaves

Yes...I have labels on my containers with some instructions.  I'm a type A person when it comes to organization...please don't judge me! :)


Ingredients:
*  3 Tbl. gound flax (If you eat eggs, feel free to use 3 eggs instead of the flax and water)
*  1/2 C water
*  1 1/2C turbinado/raw sugar
*  1/2C unsweetened applesauce
*  1/2C canola oil
*  14oz can pumpkin
*  3C whole wheat flour (I used 1/2C amaranth flour + 2 1/2C whole wheat flour)
*  1 Tbl. pumpkin pie spice
*  1 tsp. baking soda
*  1/2 tsp. baking powder
*  3/4 tsp. salt
*  Sprinkle of oats for garnish (optional)

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.  Mix flax and water in a bowl and let sit until thickened.
3.  Combine sugar, applesauce, oil, pumpkin, and flax mixture in the mixer.
4.  In medium bowl, mix flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
5.  Stir dry ingredients slowly into the mixer.
6.  Lightly grease 2 - 8" loaf pans
7.  Sprinkle oats on top (optional)
8.  Bake for ~50 min.
9.  Let sit ~20 min. before removing from pan