Pumpkin-Almond Bread

Have any leftover pureed pumpkin from all those pumpkin pies you've been making for tomorrow? Need a new idea for a fun pumpkin recipe to use up those leftovers? Yesterday I made my own pureed pumpkin from two little sugar pie pumpkins, which is really easy to do and worth the extra effort instead of using the canned version. I put aside what I needed to make two pumpkin pies for my family's Thanksgiving tomorrow, and I still had about a cup leftover, so I decided to make some sort of pumpkin bread. 

Now, if you know me or have ever seen me bake before, you know I'm not much of a precision baker.  I'm actually quite a hurricane in the kitchen, just throwing things in pots and pans, clutzing around, and saving all the cleaning for the end. I know that this may drive some people nuts, but it works for me and my food still tastes great. I know with baking you are supposed to properly measure each ingredient and follow the directions exactly; but I just don''t have the desire or patience to do that.  This method (or non-method) of baking doesn't work for everything, but for breads and muffins, it turns out just fine for me. I found a recipe for a healthy pumpkin bread online (HERE) that I adapted using a combination whole wheat flour and almond meal (just ground up almonds) from Trader Joe's. I also added some sliced almond to the batter, and topped it off with more sliced almonds and amaretti cookies for even more almond flavor. The bread turned out deliciously moist from the fresh pureed pumpkin and oh so flavorful with the extra hint of almond. A great, healthy twist on the traditional pumpkin bread!

Disclosure: I can't promise that these are the exact amounts of ingredients, but it should be pretty close. If you don't have almond meal, you can just use all whole wheat flour or half regular, half whole wheat. Any kind of nuts or dried fruits (even chocolate chips) would also work well. 

PUMPKIN-ALMOND BREAD

Ingredients 

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 large egg whites

1 cup fresh pureed pumpkin

1/4 cup canola oil

1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4-1cup almond meal

1.5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup sliced almonds

Amaretti cookies, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with a little bit of butter or oil.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar and egg whites, then add pumpkin, oil, yogurt and vanilla until well combined. 

3. In a smaller bowl, combine flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. 

4. Add dry mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined. Add in the almonds, reserving about a tablespoon or so to add on top. 

5. Pour batter into loaf pan. Top with remainder of the sliced almonds and chopped amaretti cookies. 

6. Bake about 45-50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for about 10-15 minutes before cutting into. Serve up some slices and enjoy!