vegan dark chocolate-pumpkin bread

From Thanksgiving through Christmas, you can usually find me baking up some goodies or watching romantic holiday movies—or both! Luckily, the Recipe Redux theme this month is “Creative Quick Breads”; so it’s the perfect excuse for me to create a new fresh-from-the-oven treat. This inspired recipe is like a glammed up pumpkin bread. It’s heavy on chocolate, but not on calories. As a bonus, it’s vegan. Enjoy … one slice at a time, of course!

Calories saved: 260

Why it’s better for you? Less added sugar and salt. No “white” flour.

Disclosure Note: One of my clients is Wonderful Pistachios. I did not receive compensation for this blog post. The recipe and opinions expressed here are my own.

vegan dark chocolate-pumpkin bread

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly brush a 9- x 5- inch loaf pan with 1 teaspoon of the grapeseed oil. Dust with 1 tablespoon of the flour. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the remaining 1/4 cup oil and 3/4 cup of the sugar until combined. Add the pumpkin, chia seeds, extracts, and 3 tablespoons cold water and stir until well combined. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/3 cup of the cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until evenly mixed. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and pistachios.

Evenly transfer the batter to the loaf pan. Dust the top with the remaining 1 teaspoon cocoa powder and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake until springy to the touch, about 55 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and completely cool. Cut into 18 slices and serve.

Notes

Per serving: 150 calories, 7g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 125mg sodium, 23g total carbohydrate, 3g dietary fiber, 14g sugars, 2g protein

3.1

http://jackienewgent.com/2015/11/pumpkin-bread/

The “Before” Version

Inspired by Starbucks Pumpkin Bread

Per serving: 410 calories, 15g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 55mg cholesterol, 500mg sodium, 63g total carbohydrate, 2g dietary fiber, 39g sugars, 6g protein

Tasteover Tips

Include contrasting textures and/or colors for extra enjoyment (i.e. pistachios)

Wrap it up as a hostess gift … naturally!