Delectable Pumpkin Bread

By Noor Salem, contributing columnist

Pumpkin should not be limited to pie! Pumpkin is most popularly consumed at the end of the year when it’s the season for squash. This pumpkin bread recipe is one of my favorites and has won the hearts of many friends and family members. It’s sweet and delicious, yet not devastating to your health. It’s almost like you are tricking your taste buds with every bite.

Pumpkin is simply delicious and the nutritional punch that comes with it possibly makes it tastier to the taste buds. It’s an excellent source of key vitamins, fiber, and even beta-carotenes. It tastes good in desserts and even in savory dishes.

As a side note, don’t toss out the pumpkin seeds hastily. Wash, dry, and roast them for a myriad of benefits including manganese, phosphorus, copper, zinc, protein, and iron. Whether you are anemic or you’re just trying to boost your intake of iron, pumpkin seeds are one of the best sources.

Try this fairly easy pumpkin bread instead of pre-made and shelf stable ones. Although they may taste great, feel soft, and smell delicious, highly processed food, including breads and treats are full of chemicals and preservatives harmful to your health. The majority will probably contain hydrogenated oils; a type of fat I advise all of my clients or family to avoid alike. As seen in this recipe, making scrumptious pumpkin bread does not take more than a few ingredients. Pre-made breads will most likely contain a ton of additives you’ll never place in your kitchen pantry. Avoid these completely and recognize the simplicity of baking from scratch.

If you’re not a fan of pumpkin, you may easily substitute it with mashed bananas. Add some walnuts and you’ll whip up pleasant banana bread. The walnuts and raisins are optional, but both definitely give either pumpkin or banana bread a distinct taste.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups organic unbleached flour

¾ cup organic coconut palm sugar

¼ cup organic brown sugar

½ teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup pumpkin puree

½ cup organic butter (or coconut oil, melted)

2 organic eggs, beaten

¼ cup water

1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon (I increase it for my preference)

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

½ cup raw walnuts, chopped (optional)

½ cup raisins (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the loaf pan with butter.
2. Mix the flour, coconut palm sugar, brown sugar, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the pumpkin, eggs, water, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg until well incorporated.
4. Add the dry ingredients slowly; don’t over mix the batter.
5. Fold in the walnuts and raisins. Transfer to the loaf pan.
6. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until golden brown.

Editor’s note: Noor H. Salem is an author, speaker, and Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, from Michigan. Noor works with clients in better understanding their bodies and healing with natural foods through her wellness practice, Holistic Noortrition. She presents various workshops, school lectures, group coaching classes, and community lectures on the topic of holistic health. Noor recently published her book, Sunnah Superfoods, a culmination of life-changing recipes and remedies, with a foreword by Dr. Waleed Basyouni. Her book consists of prophetic hadith, modern research, and delicious recipes, and is in the process of being translated into other languages.

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