Health-nut pumpkin bread
I had an urge to make pumpkin bread! Sorry about the lack of precise amounts--apparently New Zealand doesn't believe in measuring cups. Or maybe that's just my housemates. When I say "spoonful," I was using a normal silverware spoon, moderately heaped. Anyway, experiment! It'll be an adventure.
Ingredients
1/4 of a fresh pie pumpkin (a.k.a. sugar pumpkin)
double handful of wholegrain oats (should be easy to find in the bulk section of the supermarket)
dash of olive oil
several spoonfuls of ground flaxseed (a.k.a. linseed)
2 cups(ish?) of whole wheat flour
1/2 cup honey or more
1 spoonful baking soda
1 cup(ish?) raw sugar
3 eggs
pinch of salt
ground cinnamon
ground nutmeg
ground cloves
vanilla extract
Things I might have added, but couldn't find/couldn't afford/forgot:
applesauce
maple syrup
ginger, ground or fresh
walnuts
molasses?
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Scoop the seeds out of the pumpkin, cut it (this can be quite a proposition--be prepared to lean on it!) into 2" quasi-cubes, give or take. Chuck in a saucepan with water and boil. I think I overdid mine at about 25 minutes--15-20 should suffice. At any rate, as long as the pumpkin's soft, you're good to go. Slice off the peel, chuck in a bowl, and mash (very therapeutic).
Beat the eggs; add them along with the olive oil, spices (more's better!), vanilla, and some honey. Next come the oats and all the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. The batter should be about the consistency of porridge. If it's too thin, add more flour; if it's too thick, add another egg, a little milk, or some water. Pour it into a well-buttered loaf pan. (Level as much as possible, because this bread evidently has a tendency to mound.) Bake for around an hour, or until a toothpick (or knife, if you're underprepared like me) in the middle comes out clean. If the top starts to get too brown, cover with tin foil. Remove from oven, invert loaf onto a plate, turn right-side-up, and allow to cool a bit.
Final step: mangia, mangia! Goes well with plain yogurt, cream cheese, or ice cream. On its own, it's not very rich, but it really fills you up!
Notes
Why it's healthy:
Pumpkin contains phytonutrients, which inhibit cancer and promote general health; beta-carotene, which protects against lung cancer and some of the ill effects of secondhand smoke, as well as preventing cholesterol from oxidizing (which can contribute to strokes and heart attacks). Pumpkin is also a good source of potassium, fiber, manganese, folates, and omega-3 fatty acids, all of which do good things for you that I'm too lazy to type here.
Whole oats contain beta-glucan, a fiber which is particularly effective in lowering cholesterol and which also boosts immune response to infection; avenanthramides, an antioxidant unique to oats that may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly in post-menopausal women; selenium, which decreases asthma symptoms and is associated with DNA repair. Fiber in general also lowers women's risk of breast cancer. Oats are also an excellent source of manganese.
Whole wheat flour is less refined than white flour, with more fiber and other general goodness. (It's along the same lines as everything else, really.)
Flaxseed meal is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which inhibit inflammation, protect bone health, protect against heart disease, colon cancer, and dry eyes, and lower blood pressure and cholesterol. The magnesium in flaxseed helps prevent migraines and promotes relaxation and normal sleeping patterns. Flaxseed has been found to slow prostate cancer, protect against breast cancer, and aid post-menopausal women by reducing hot flashes and allowing estrogen to continue its normal role in bone maintenance.
Honey is probiotic, containing several friendly bacteria. It may be partially due to these that honey is an effective cough suppressant, immunity booster, and topical wound healer. Honey also appears to raise blood levels of antioxidant compounds in the human body.
Olive oil protects against many degenerative diseases, promotes cardiovascular health and longevity, prevents bone loss and free radical damage, supports gastrointestinal health, and reduces inflammation. It also apparently helps you lose fat specifically from around your waistline. Of course, there's not a whole lot in this recipe, and it retains more of its beneficial properties when you don't cook it, but there you have it.
Cinnamon helps to keep the blood from clotting, inhibits microbe growth in foods it's added to, boosts brain function, and protects against heart disease and colon cancer.
Cloves are also anti-inflammatory. They're a good source of manganese, vitamin C, dietary fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Sugar's not really nutritionally beneficial at all, but the raw sugar called for is less refined than white sugar, so it actually bears some small relation to the plant it came from. It's also called evaporated cane juice.
If you try making this, I want to hear about it!
Ingredients
1/4 of a fresh pie pumpkin (a.k.a. sugar pumpkin)
double handful of wholegrain oats (should be easy to find in the bulk section of the supermarket)
dash of olive oil
several spoonfuls of ground flaxseed (a.k.a. linseed)
2 cups(ish?) of whole wheat flour
1/2 cup honey or more
1 spoonful baking soda
1 cup(ish?) raw sugar
3 eggs
pinch of salt
ground cinnamon
ground nutmeg
ground cloves
vanilla extract
Things I might have added, but couldn't find/couldn't afford/forgot:
applesauce
maple syrup
ginger, ground or fresh
walnuts
molasses?
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Scoop the seeds out of the pumpkin, cut it (this can be quite a proposition--be prepared to lean on it!) into 2" quasi-cubes, give or take. Chuck in a saucepan with water and boil. I think I overdid mine at about 25 minutes--15-20 should suffice. At any rate, as long as the pumpkin's soft, you're good to go. Slice off the peel, chuck in a bowl, and mash (very therapeutic).
Beat the eggs; add them along with the olive oil, spices (more's better!), vanilla, and some honey. Next come the oats and all the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. The batter should be about the consistency of porridge. If it's too thin, add more flour; if it's too thick, add another egg, a little milk, or some water. Pour it into a well-buttered loaf pan. (Level as much as possible, because this bread evidently has a tendency to mound.) Bake for around an hour, or until a toothpick (or knife, if you're underprepared like me) in the middle comes out clean. If the top starts to get too brown, cover with tin foil. Remove from oven, invert loaf onto a plate, turn right-side-up, and allow to cool a bit.
Final step: mangia, mangia! Goes well with plain yogurt, cream cheese, or ice cream. On its own, it's not very rich, but it really fills you up!
Notes
Why it's healthy:
Pumpkin contains phytonutrients, which inhibit cancer and promote general health; beta-carotene, which protects against lung cancer and some of the ill effects of secondhand smoke, as well as preventing cholesterol from oxidizing (which can contribute to strokes and heart attacks). Pumpkin is also a good source of potassium, fiber, manganese, folates, and omega-3 fatty acids, all of which do good things for you that I'm too lazy to type here.
Whole oats contain beta-glucan, a fiber which is particularly effective in lowering cholesterol and which also boosts immune response to infection; avenanthramides, an antioxidant unique to oats that may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly in post-menopausal women; selenium, which decreases asthma symptoms and is associated with DNA repair. Fiber in general also lowers women's risk of breast cancer. Oats are also an excellent source of manganese.
Whole wheat flour is less refined than white flour, with more fiber and other general goodness. (It's along the same lines as everything else, really.)
Flaxseed meal is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which inhibit inflammation, protect bone health, protect against heart disease, colon cancer, and dry eyes, and lower blood pressure and cholesterol. The magnesium in flaxseed helps prevent migraines and promotes relaxation and normal sleeping patterns. Flaxseed has been found to slow prostate cancer, protect against breast cancer, and aid post-menopausal women by reducing hot flashes and allowing estrogen to continue its normal role in bone maintenance.
Honey is probiotic, containing several friendly bacteria. It may be partially due to these that honey is an effective cough suppressant, immunity booster, and topical wound healer. Honey also appears to raise blood levels of antioxidant compounds in the human body.
Olive oil protects against many degenerative diseases, promotes cardiovascular health and longevity, prevents bone loss and free radical damage, supports gastrointestinal health, and reduces inflammation. It also apparently helps you lose fat specifically from around your waistline. Of course, there's not a whole lot in this recipe, and it retains more of its beneficial properties when you don't cook it, but there you have it.
Cinnamon helps to keep the blood from clotting, inhibits microbe growth in foods it's added to, boosts brain function, and protects against heart disease and colon cancer.
Cloves are also anti-inflammatory. They're a good source of manganese, vitamin C, dietary fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Sugar's not really nutritionally beneficial at all, but the raw sugar called for is less refined than white sugar, so it actually bears some small relation to the plant it came from. It's also called evaporated cane juice.
If you try making this, I want to hear about it!