Hearty Harvest Loaf

This hearty loaf is pretty much your kitchen sink of fall ingredients and flavors; apples, squash, carrots, maple and cinnamon just to name a few. It's pretty much all of my favorite things in one bite. I used butternut squash puree because in a country that doesn't celebrate thanksgiving finding canned pumpkin puree is basically impossible (believe me I've tried) - so needless to say I have been roasting a lot of gourds lately. Turns out the flavor is so much better when roasted fresh, but a tad more time consuming - so feel free to substitute pumpkin puree instead.

Little oil, and sweetened only with maple syrup makes this a pretty healthy snack. The squash puree makes for a extremely moist loaf, so wait until it has almost cooled completely before slicing, even though the smell will make that tough. Be patient - a beautiful piece of fall loaf is just waiting to be slathered with almond butter and enjoyed along side a cup of coffee.

Hearty Harvest Loaf
(Adapted from Cookie & Kate's Ultimate Pumpkin Bread)

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil, plus a little extra to grease the pan
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup pumpkin or butternut squash puree*
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 each ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves, or 1/2 teaspoon all spice
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 small carrots, grated
• 1 medium apple, grated
• 1 + 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup hot water
• Raw sugar and extra cinnamon to sprinkle on top

What to do

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F (165 C) and grease a loaf pan
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and maple syrup. Add the eggs and continue whisking
3. Stir in squash/pumpkin puree and vanilla, then salt and spices. Stir in the flour until just combined, and add in the grated carrot and apple.
4. Combine baking soda and hot water, and stir into batter in until evenly distributed
5. Pour into loaf pan and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar if your like
6. Bake in the oven for about an hour. The loaf is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the top no longer giggles. Let cool in the loaf pan for a few minutes, then remove and let cool for half an hour on a cooling rack before slicing

*To make your own puree preheat the oven to 400 F. Slice whatever squash/pumpkin you have in half and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash cut side down on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until the skin is soft and the flesh is easily removed from the skin. Depending on the size of your squash, anywhere from 30-60 minutes. Scrape all of the flesh off the skin and puree in a food processor or with a submersion blender. Let cool, drain out any excess liquid and use however you want!