Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

It is truly unfortunate that most people probably only eat pumpkin once a year in a Thanksgiving pie, since it is both delicious and nutritious. Here's a recipe that you can make year round - a couple slices make a great breakfast on the go or a yummy dessert. And this time of year it's a perfect hostess gift. Give a loaf with a recipe card attached.

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup raw sugar, 1 cup canned pumpkin, 1/4 cup canola oil, 1/4 cup vanilla soy pudding, and the equivalent of 2 eggs using egg replacer (such as Ener-G). For the soy pudding, try the certified vegan snack pack from Zen Soy: www.zensoy.com They also make this treat in chocolate and banana flavors, which are a yummy vegan snack to have on hand.

Spoon out one and a half cups all-purpose flour into measuring cups and level with a knife. Combine in a separate bowl with 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. baking soda, stirring with a whisk. Add to the pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined.

Stir in 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips. Whole Foods' 365 brand now makes vegan chocolate chips which I like better than other carob chip varieties I have tried.

Spoon the batter into an 8x4-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for an hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. This recipe doubles super easily, in which case just put 2 loaf pans in the oven at once.

Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for ten minutes before carefully removing from the pan. Let cool on the wire rack completely. A loaf will yield 16 slices of 160 calories each.

Cost:
sugar $3.69
canned pumpkin $0.99
vanilla soy pudding $4.49
chocolate chips $2.99