Secret Recipe Club

Happy Monday y'all!

It's time for another installment of Secret Recipe Club! Whoo-hoo! This is actually the first SRC post for Group C of 2013, so I'm pretty freaking ecstatic! Sooooo, this month I was proud to learn that my secret blogger was Melissa, the voice behind the blog, Melissa's Cuisine. Melissa lives in West Michigan w/ her husband Mike and absolutely loves cooking. Duh :). Anyhoo, I learned that, like myself, Melissa credits her parents for her mad cooking skills! I one day hope that like my parents, and Melissa's parents, I can teach my future children, from an early age, how to gain an appreciation for food. This is a no brainer, right? I'll let you know when I have kids ;). First I need to find myself a man! Okay, okay enough about me. Melissa knows her cooking and baking...I mean, seriously? Look at her extensive recipe catalog. I wanted to make everything from her Chicken Parmesan to her Peanut Butter Cup Bars. However, because I have about 4 cans of unopened organic pumpkin pie puree in my pantry, I went with something pumpkin. It's not too late for pumpkin recipes is it? Nah, didn't think so :) 

I am also a super huge fan of carrot cake, soooooo Melissa's Pumpkin Carrot Cake Bread had my name all over it.

This bread/cake is chock full of good for you stuff!

Ummmm...hello there carrots, raisins, and walnuts!

This bread is utterly divine, with a melt in your mouth texture!

I used almond flour which almost makes this bread/cake a spoon bread consistency.

I know what I will be eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all this week.

 That is...if this stuff lasts more than a day!

Pumpkin Carrot Cake Bread (recipe via Melissa's Cuisine) (GF/P):

Ingredients:

1.5 c. whole-wheat flour (I used almond flour)

1 t. baking powder

1.5 t. pumpkin pie spice 

1/2 t. salt

1 egg

1 15 oz. can pure pumpkin (I used organic)

1/2 c. brown sugar (I used raw coconut sugar)

2 T. applesauce 

1 t. pure vanilla extract

1 c. shredded carrots

1/4 c. mix-ins (I used 1/4 c. chopped walnuts, 1/4 c. raisins) (Melissa also suggests chopped apple and chocolate chips)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9 in. loaf pan with cooking spray.

2. Place the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine.

3. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, pumpkin, sugar, applesauce, and vanilla until smooth.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

5. Fold in the carrots and the mix-ins. 

6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (because of the almond flour mine took longer to bake, about 45 minutes). 

7. Let the bread cool completely before turning it out onto a cutting board and slicing.

Makes 8-10 slices.

MANGIA!!!