Paleo Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin! 

We are back to summer weather here in the Nation's Capital. Don't know what happened to the lovely, crisp Autumn weather we were having, but yesterday was only one degree away from breaking a record for highest temperatures for this time of year. 87 degrees is just silly for October. I mean come on.

Hot weather or not, I am still jumping head-first into fall. Maybe I won't be wearing as many scarves and sweaters as I would like, but I will be watching all the Harry Potter movies (along with all the other wonderful Halloween flicks) and eating as much pumpkin as I can!

Tuesday I made Pumpkin Pie Dip with NO refined sugar. That is some good stuff! A friend said it tastes like "Fall in dip form." and the hubby said "What is this? Its good!" Love it when I get those kind of reactions to my culinary creations, especially when they are semi-healthy.

Today, I was debating between pancakes and a quick bread. I am trying to stay away from grains as much as possible and that kind of limits the bread options. There are some really good paleo bread recipes out there, but I am very picky because many of them end up having too much of an egg texture for my tastes. I can't stand that. This recipe does not have that texture.

This is just what I wanted in a pumpkin bread. Its moist, flavorful, spicy, and nutty. It has a wonderful pumpkin flavor and it turned out so beautiful. I could not have been happier with the way this turned out. I had some cinnamon-honey butter in the fridge that just sent it over the top! I gave some to my parents and my aunt and they all thought it was amazing and couldn't believe it was grain free. Score! J loved it too.

I hope you take a chance and make this, especially if you are feeling a little iffy about the whole gluten-free thing. This is the perfect inaugural recipe to show you how un-scary gluten-free is and how YUMMY it can be. Let me know if you try it out!

XOXO,

Coco

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Paleo Pumpkin Bread
(original recipe from Paleo on Main)

• 1 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup mapple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

Topping:

• 1/8 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/8 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

All ingredients should be room temperature. Preheat oven to 375F.  Grease 1.5 quart bread pan with coconut oil.  

Combine wet and dry ingredients in separate work bowls. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients and pour batter into prepared bread pan. 

Combine topping ingredients and spread on top of prepared batter and place on middle rack in preheated oven.  

Bake bread for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out from the center of the loaf cleanly.  Allow to cool in the pan and slice. Serve plain or smeared butter or creamed honey.

My Whole30 Journey - Cool Veggie-Packed Gazpacho

I am often asked where I am from, or where my family is from. Its a nice way of asking why I my coloring is as dark as it is. The truth is that I am fully American, like Mayflower American. Okay, maybe not that far back, but almost! I usually appease people with an answer that will give them the information they want: I have dark skin and hair because part of my dad's family is from Spain.

Spain is responsible for some pretty awesome contributions to this world. The language, the classical guitar, some awesome artists (Dali, Picasso, etc...), the siesta, and of course the food! Spanish tapas is one of the best culinary experiences available. 

Tapas is basically a smorgasbord of small portions of different appetizers or snacks. Usually you would order a few different items and share amongst the table. The idea is that you would have more opportunity for conversation because you aren't focused on eating an entire meal, and because you are sharing everything on the table. A little sangria doesn't hurt either!

One of the things I always order at a Spanish tapas resteraunt is gazpacho. Essencially cold soup. Gazpacho can really be anything from fruit soups (Tropical Fruit Gazpacho recipe) to salsa type soups. Everything in gazpacho is always fresh and flavorful. Its really so refreshing to sip down a cup of this chilled soup.

gazpacho served with stake and fried plantains (Whole30 approved!)

This particuallar recipe has been tweeked from Ina Garten's recipe. I added some extra veggies, and some fresh cilantro (love me some cilantro), and a little kick of jalapeno. I think my additions just kick up the recipe. 

I love a good bowl of this cool Spanish soup on a hot day. It has amazing flavors, spicy and fresh, it just makes your mouth sing! Its also packed with fresh veggies so its awesomely healthy.

heck yes! make your body happy!

Unless you are on a no-vegetables diet, this will be approved! Its paleo/primal/caveman, nut, grain, gluten, sugar, sweeteners, fat, soy, egg, and dairy free, its also vegan and raw. I mean come on! Talk about healthy! Its also pretty simple to make, just toss your veggies in a food processor or blender and then let it all chill so the flavors blend. Its a pretty impressive little soup for a dinner party or just keep it all to yourself and take it to work for lunch.

Cool Veggie-Packed Gazpacho
(adapted from Ina Garten's The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, foodnetwork.com)

• 1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
• 1 zucchini 
• 2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
• 4 plum tomatoes
• 1 red onion (optional)
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 23 ounces V8 tomato juice (3 cups)
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• Optional garnishes: fresh cilantro, lime wedges, avocado

Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not over-process!After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop. Garnish as you like and serve with crusty bread, tortilla chips, or just on its own.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4-8 (depending on your portion sizes, I got about 8 servings)