Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf

I came across this recipe when searching for fall seasonal recipes, and found this one here. It's vegan, which is awesome, has pumpkin, with Tessa loves, and chocolate, which I love. I might like to try it sometime with walnuts in addition to the chocolate chips.

I did make a few minor changes. I made it with whole wheat flour, and instead of measuring out each one of the four spices (ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove), I just used 1 1/8 teaspoons of pumpkin spice mix. I also used a 9" loaf pan, so I adjusted the bake time and it worked flawlessly. I have not tested the 8" loaf pan bake time. 

1/4 cup organic applesauce
2 tablespoons canola or coconut oil
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons boiling water, divided (see note)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease an 8- or 9-inch loaf pan. Set some water on to boil, but don't measure yet.
2. Put the applesauce, oil, and cocoa powder in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt.
3. Measure out 1/3 cup from the boiling water and pour it into the bowl with the chocolate mixture, mixing quickly to make a smooth chocolate sauce. Add the pumpkin, sugar, and vanilla and mix well.
4. Dump about half of the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture and gently stir to incorporate, then measure out 1 tablespoon of boiling water and stir again. Then, add the remaining flour mixture and another tablespoon of boiling water and stir just until smooth. Be careful not to overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan. It will be good and thick. Smooth the top out with a spatula.
6. If you're using an 8-inch loaf pan, bake for 55 minutes to an hour. For a 9-inch loaf pan, bake for 45-50 minutes. Stick a steak knife into the center of the loaf to check for doneness. A little bit of wetness is okay since it could be from a chocolate chip, but the knife should come out mostly dry.
7. Allow the loaf to cool for 10 minutes, then invert pan and place loaf on a cooling rack to cool most of the way.

8. Slice and serve a little bit warm, or thoroughly cooled.

Makes about 10 servings.

I can haz two slices?

Snack Time

I am a food lover. I also get hungry every two hours. Because of these things, I'm a big fan of snacks. Unfortunately, snacks add up quickly, so I try to find healthy alternatives to my favorite cravings. Here are a few of them.

I primarily crave salty snacks, so those are first, then sweet. I absolutely love hummus. So much so that the previous sentence was probably a huge understatement. My Aunt Judi's homemade hummus recipe follows at the bottom of this entry. Rich in protein and the good kind of fat, I prefer to eat it with baked pita chips or baked organic blue corn tortilla chips, but eating it with carrots, celery, or raw broccoli makes it even better for you.

I also eat a lot of Amy's Organic Medium Salsa on baked organic blue corn tortilla chips. It's fresh, organic, sweet and spicy, and loaded with veggie goodness. Baked chips are also, of course, healthier than their fried counterparts. When Tessa craved queso the other day, I melted 1 tbsp butter, whisked in 3/4 cup almond milk, stirred until it thickened, then added 3/4 cup shredded cheddar and swirled in about 1/4 cup salsa. It was pretty darn good.

A couple other go-to snacks could go either way: a handful or two of almonds, walnuts, or granola. Try combining them, along with some (c)raisins, for a healthy, tasty trail mix. You could also add peanuts, but I'm allergic to those. Then, of course, there's always fresh fruit. Tessa loves dipping organic apple slices in almond butter, cantaloupe chunks or fruit leather. I like my apples whole, along with bing cherries or pineapple chunks.

When I crave something sweet, I try to go for a fruit smoothie or a piece or two of dark chocolate instead of ice cream or cookies. Dark chocolate has more antioxidants than milk chocolate, and I like the taste better anyway. One thing I've been doing lately is breaking a big dark chocolate bar into pieces and keeping them in a tupperware container or plastic bag, so that I'm not tempted to eat the whole thing in one go. If you do want cookies, buy whole wheat baking flour, and consider including healthy ingredients like (c)raisins, walnuts, or oatmeal. Then there's always Tessa's favorite, chocolate avocado pudding.

Aunt Judi's Homemade Hummus

1 1/2 cups dried garbanzo beans, soaked overnight
1 tsp sea salt, divided
3 cloves garlic, peeled

3/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, and more to taste
cayenne pepper
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tsp olive oil

1. Rinse the soaked chickpeas well and drain them before putting them in a saucepan and covering them with plenty of fresh water. Bring to a boil. Skim, add one-half teaspoon salt, cover and cook over medium heat, about 1 1/2 hours, until the chickpeas are very soft. (Beware of burning!)
2. Meanwhile, crush the garlic and one-half teaspoon salt in a blender or food processor until pureed. Add the tahini and lemon juice and process until white and contracted. Add 1/2 cup water and process until completely smooth.
3. Drain the chickpeas, but keep their cooking liquid. Add the chickpeas to the sesame paste mixture and process until well-blended. Thin to desired consistency with reserved chickpea cooking liquid. Adjust the seasoning with salt and lemon juice. 

4. Serve, sprinkled with paprika and parsley and drizzled with oil. The hummus can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Makes about three cups.

Om nom nom.

Incredibly Healthy Chocolate Avocado Pudding

My girlfriend actually found this recipe here and asked me to make it for her because she is a huge fan of pudding. (She's even eating some as I type this.) I am, admittedly, not a pudding fan, but this recipe is so amazingly healthy that I've even taken a liking to it myself. It's also a cinch to whip up if you have a food processor.

Cocoa powder is being touted as a superfood for its antioxidant/flavonoid benefits, avocados are the good kind of fat with health benefits galore, and organic honey is a freakishly-good-for-you alternative to other sweeteners. And, well, those are the only ingredients in this recipe.

2 small avocados or 1 large
1 tbs cocoa
1 tsp raw, organic honey (start with one, anyway... I add more)

1. Halve avocados; remove pit and scoop the flesh from skin with a spoon. Cut into a few chunks.
2. Toss all ingredients into a food processor. Blend until creamy.
3. Taste, and adjust cocoa and honey amounts as desired.

It's a completely delicious alternative to an unhealthy, sweet snack, and oh yeah-- it's completely vegan, too.

Serves two.

I can has a tasty pudding snack?