Two Fit Moms

Tag: pumpkin

  • Maple Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread

    Maple Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread

    Pumpkin. Who doesn’t love pumpkin something? I recently walked into a grocery store and was overwhelmed with the amount of pumpkin infused items. I felt like Forrest Gump.  Pumpkin coffee. . . pumpkin tea . . . pumpkin creamer . . . pumpkin cream cheese . . . pumpkin ice cream . . . pumpkin pasta . . . pumpkin cookies . . . pumpkin pancakes — and the list goes on and on.
    Pumpkinbreadheader

    All of this pumpkin is a little overwhelming, but I still love it, and I know you do too! However, I prefer the more traditional pumpkin dessert recipes with natural ingredients, rather than artificial flavors. So, here is my healthy take on a fall classic— pumpkin bread.

    I’ve been experimenting with oatmeal a lot lately.  In this recipe, I decided to add some oatmeal to my bread, along with brown rice flour (which now makes the bread gluten free) and my usual white sugar substitute — maple syrup. I also added Greek yogurt to moisten the batter. Everything else is pretty standard — eggs, oil, vanilla, etc.

    However, I jazzed it up with a sweet/salty/crunchy topping — which also happens to be completely optional — but I do think it adds a nice texture. It’s just a simple mixture of rolled oats, pumpkin seeds, maple syrup and cinnamon — which is a perfect addition since it gives you a hint as to what is inside this delicious bread. Plus, the topping makes a nice presentation — don’t you think?

    I hope you enjoy this healthy twist on a classic recipe!

    Maple Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread
    Yields one loaf

    1 cup of pumpkin puree
    1/3 cup oil
    3/4 cup maple syrup, grade B
    1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
    1/3 cup milk
    2 eggs
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
    1/2 cup of rolled oats (ground into a flour)
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    pinch salt

    Topping (optional)
    1/4 cup toasted/salted pumpkin seeds
    1/4 cup rolled oats
    1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
    1 tablespoon maple syrup

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch loaf pan and set aside.

    In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients (pumpkin puree, oil, maple syrup, yogurt, milk, eggs, vanilla). When incorporated, add the dry ingredients (flour, oatmeal, baking powder, cinnamon, salt). Mix until incorporated. Pour into the greased loaf pan.

    To make the topping, add the pumpkin seeds, oats, cinnamon and maple syrup and toss to combine.

    Sprinkle the top of the loaf with the pumpkin seed/oat mixture. Bake for approximately 1 hour or until a tester inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

    Helpful Hint: Put your rolled oats into the food processor — the fine texture will make this loaf more cake-like.

  • Make Ahead Breakfast: Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cake

    Make Ahead Breakfast: Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cake

    Who doesn’t love a hot bowl of oatmeal in the morning — especially as the weather starts to get a bit chilly? But, who has the time to prepare oats in the morning — aside from the instant ones that tend to be full of sugar?  If you want to get your oatmeal fix, but have little time to prepare them in the morning, consider making an oatmeal cake.  You can make it in advance and enjoy it throughout the week.  All you need to do is pop it in the microwave to heat it, and voila, a healthy breakfast is served!
    oatmeal cake square
    I got this idea from Cooking Light that offers a baked oatmeal recipe.  However, the Cooking Light recipe includes butter and brown sugar.  I wanted to lighten up the recipe, so I swapped out the butter and the brown sugar, replacing them with safflower oil and maple syrup.

    By now, you probably know that I use maple syrup a lot as a processed sugar replacement.  Maple syrup is a natural sugar, and I find that I can easily replace an equal amount of white sugar (or brown sugar) with maple syrup.  It works really nicely in this oatmeal cake recipe.

    You can flavor the oatmeal cake any way you’d like.   I decided to make a pumpkin oatmeal cake, because it’s fall, and I love pumpkin! You can also use mashed banana or applesauce in place of the pumpkin puree.  If you don’t consume dairy products, try making the cake with almond or soy milk.  I added raisins to the Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cake, but you can throw in cranberries or currants or chocolate chips! You can also top it with a little extra maple syrup for some additional sweetness. It’s really a very versatile recipe. It’s also a great recipe for the non-oatmeal lover in your life.

    If you happen to follow a gluten-free diet or have a gluten allergy, make sure to use oats that are labeled as gluten-free.  While oats are naturally gluten-free, they are often cross contaminated with grains containing gluten during the growing process.

    Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cake
    Yields nine servings

    2 cups of oats (not quick cooking)
    1/3 cup of raisins
    1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
    1 teaspoon of baking powder
    1 1/2 cups of milk
    1/4 cup of maple syrup (grade B)
    1/2 cup of pumpkin puree
    2 tablespoons of safflower oil
    1 large egg, beaten
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Grease an 8 by 8 inch square pan.  Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, add the milk, maple syrup, pumpkin, oil and beaten egg.  Mix to incorporate and then add the wet mixture to the dry mixture.  Stir well.  Pour the oat mixture into the greased pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, until firm. Serve warm or refrigerate it and enjoy throughout the week!

    Helpful hint: You can make the oat mixture the night before, store it in the refrigerator  and bake it in the morning! I found the cooking time remained the same, but all ovens will vary.