Pumpkin Banaynay Bread

Probably one of the biggest questions after thanksgiving is,

"How much weight did you gain?"

"What Do I do with all these left overs?"

As we contemplated what we should make, none of us could agree on the same thing.

Therefore, we all did something different.

We are kinda a complicated family.

I kept it simple. I just heated the leftovers and grubbed.

One of my brothers got a little more creative.

Turkey, cheese, mashed potatoes, and gravy panini.

That's not even that weird compared to what my older brother made.

Turkey, cheese, goat cheese, and pineapple pizza.

I'm guessing that it's an acquired taste.

Moving on.

This morning I had chocolate for breakfast. I've said this before, It's the ONLY way to start the day.

No, that's not melted chocolate on top of a banana. 

Although I could be kidding just cuz I don't want to be judged.

Actually it's dark chocolate peanut butter.

WAY better for you =]

Normally I make a bread at the beginning of the week so the hubby and I can enjoy it for breakfast.

And considering that I bough 56 cans of pumpkin puree, afraid that they would run out due to the season, I made pumpkin banana bread.

It was super moist, which is really the only way I like my bread.

And I used alot of natural ingredients, so I felt better when I ate half the loaf in one sitting.

Kidding 

Kidding

I felt really guilty

Pumpkin Banaynay Bread
adapted from: Peas & Thank you

Ingredients:

1 3/4 Cups Whole Weat Pastry Flour

1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Nutmeg

1/2 tsp. Ginger

3/4 Cup Sucanat (or brown sugar)

1/4 Cup Vegan Butter, or canola oil

1/2 Cup Non Dairy Milk (Or regular Milk)

2 over ripe Bananas

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 Cup (Heaping) Pumpkin Puree

Pumpkin Butter (Optional)

Directions:

1. Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in medium bowl.

2. In a separate bowl combine butter and (sucanat) sugar, and beat until combined. Add milk, vanilla, & pumpkin and mix until incorporated. 

3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.

4. Now, if you want to, you can add pumpkin butter, which I made a few weeks back. Just take about a 1/3 cup of Pumpkin Butter, and using a mixing spatula, swirl it in the batter. You don't have to fully incorporate it, but just enough. If you don't want to do this, you can skip this step.

5. Pour batter into greased bread pan, and bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes.

Now go suck your thumb, lay on the couch, and wish you didn't eat 5 servings of grandmas sweet potato casserole. 

Pumpkin Rosemary Crackers

I'm sure this looks very tasty...

Well let me just up the appeal by mentioning it has swiss chard, kale, leavy greens, spinach, grapefruit, apple, agave, and flax seed...

Ya, now your like...YUM!!

OK! I'll cut the crap. But I promise you, it IS amazing. I buy a huge bottle of this crap  drink at a local farmers market. I like it...I don't care what you think =]

You may be disgusted by my "Green Drink," but guess what caught my eye when I was spending hundreds a couple bucks at Target this morning...

Christmas came EARLY this year! I had no idea there was a DARK chocolate flavor!

I wonder what it would taste like mixed with the green drink...??

I kid I kid...

Today was a good day. I was off to a good start, and full of energy. Especially with tons of "Green" in me. I was craving crackers and hummus. A usual for me. I LOOOVEE crackers. It's a delicious carb. Problem is, alot of times, crackers are full of crap that's unecessary, as is most processed food. So, why not make homemade ones!

You should have seen the look on my family's face when I told them...They think I am very very strange.

It is definitely time consuming, but a great challenge and experiment for me.

Pumpkin Rosemary Crackers
by: Oh she glows

Ingredients:

1 Cup Flour

1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1 TB Brown Sugar

1 TB. Rosemary

1 tsp. Nutmeg

(could add a dash or sage OR Pumpkin Pie spice)

1/4 Cup Flax Seeds

1/4 Cup Ground Flax Seeds

2 TB. Sesame Seeds

3/4 Cup Milk (I used almond...no not chocolate =])

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

3 TB Pumpkin Puree

1/4 tsp Chopped Garlic

Top with: 

Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Butter (3 TB butter melted with 3 TB pumpkin Puree)

Note: For a sweeter version use pumpkin pie spice and add maybe 1 TB. of agave, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Gather all your dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, spices, sugar, flax seeds, ground flax, and sesame seeds.)

I love rosemary. It goes so well with pumpkin. I would have used sage as well but I didn't have any.

I may have a slight obsession with sesame seeds...

Then add dry ingredients into a bowl and mix until well blended.

Then take a separate bowl and add your liquids. (Milk, oil, pumpkin, garlic, and agave if your using it for sweetness)

Pour onto dry mixture and get prepared to get dirty =]

Get your hands in that bowl and work with dough till well blended then form into ball and place on floured surface. You don't want alot of flour, because then the flour would be too dry, but you want just enough so it isn't sticking to everything.

Then cut into cute little cracker squares. I used square cookie cutters for about 5 of them, and then said, Screw it! Using a pizza cutter is MUCH easier.

Then place on baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. (Silpats are AMAZING)

Press pumpkin seeds onto crackers so they stay in. I had a handy roller that worked really well.

Then take your pumpkin butter and brush onto crackers.

Notice the thickness of my crackers. A little too thick. Next time I will roll them out thinner so they are more crackery like...That's a word right? Crackery?

Then sprinkle cinnamon sugar if you desire. I used plain cinnamon, and I couldn't really tell the difference. That's why I would recommend cinnamon sugar.

Then place in the oven for about 20 (+) minutes. I did 25 minutes on a convection oven, and I wish I would have done a little less time. Convection ovens always seem to cook quicker.

 As I patiently waited, I played with my angel and sipped away my green goodness.

I really enjoyed the crackers. It was a fun challenge, and something I had never made before. I would definitely like to think of other flavors, but for now I'll stick with the one I got.