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?

Fruit Smoothies in a Snap

It's July. Beat the heat: grab your blender/food processor and make a delicious, healthy fruit smoothie in around a minute. Warning: they are addictive. Tessa even requested one for breakfast this morning. However, they are 100% healthy-- fruit, fruit juice, and yogurt.

Tessa is partial to strawberry and raspberry; I'm a fan of strawberry, mango, and strango (see what I did, there?). Use whatever fruit you like-- just freeze it first. Alternately, you can use fresh fruit and around 5 ice cubes. Vegan? Sub in half a banana instead of yogurt for creamy without dairy.

Want an extra boost? Add in half a teaspoon of finely ground flax seed. You can't taste it, and it's a super food.

1 cup frozen fruit of your choice (if using fresh fruit, add 4 ice cubes)

1/2 fresh orange, peel and seeds removed or 1/2 cup fruit juice

1/4 cup low fat yogurt

1. Toss all ingredients in a blender or food processor.

2. Blend until smooth.

BAM! Serves one.

EDIT 10/11/11: In light of this news, I have changed the recipe above to include half an orange instead of 1/2 cup orange juice. I made it today with a Valencia orange, and it was delicious. Alternately, you can use 1/2 cup of another fruit juice; I made it once with apple cider and Tessa loved it.

Ahh... purrrfect.

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?