From Fruitcakes to Pumpkin Bread

As I wrapped up the pumpkin chocolate chip breads and flourless almond, peanut and peanut chocolate chips cookies to distribute to my colleagues and friends as holiday gifts, I was drawn back to my days as a child and adolescent of baking mini pastries and eventually three dozen fruitcakes. The fruitcake became my signature item, beginning on Thanksgiving weekend preparing and baking them and then brushing them with the finest cognac weekly for four weeks before sending them around the country to my relatives and delivering near and far. I maintained this tradition for years and my older daughter, Lindsay, would help me in the kitchen. One year, I recall having a bad snow storm and needing to get to the post office. I loaded up Lindsay's carriage, which was now used for our dog, Krissy, with all the fruitcake boxes to send and we walked to the post office. Of course, the carriage lost a wheel on the trip, but we made it! Since that time, I have found as hobby as well as part of my mission of healthy eating for all, to take wonderful recipes and to create healthier versions of them, and now with gluten free flours since so many are affected by this very hard to digest and modified protein in wheat. My versions for quickbreads - banana-walnut, punmpkin-chocolate chip and apple-cheese, are wonderful - the taste, texture, crumb - you name it, they pass the "tri-test"! Roll back yet again to college days. We were expected to experiment with ingredients and then use the food lab for testing and this tri-test remains quite vivid in my memory. Height would be measured, the size of the holes in the texture, how it would crumble and then of course, blind-folded taste! I use these general principles without the equipment, to this very day! This year, I have really enjoyed getting back into a few of these traditions that have been disrupted for the past few years - there is something grounding and so positive about holding onto those traditions and memories that fuel our happiness and gratitude and for me, feeding people, sharing love with food, has been a theme throughout my life. Try "breaking bread" with this delicious, yet nutritious Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread - I am perfecting the Paleo version as we speak! With love, Julie PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP BREAD 1 1/4 CUPS GF FLOUR MIX 2 TBL OIL 1/2 CUP BENEFIBER 3 TBL UNSWEETENED APPLESAUCE 2 TSP BAKING POWDER 2 TBL SUGAR 1 TSP XANTHAN GUM 2 EGGS 1/2 TSP SALT 1 TSP VANILLA 1/4 TSP BAKING SODA 1 CUP CANNED OR STRAINED MASHED PUMPKIN 1 TSP CINNAMON ¼ CUP CHOCOLATE CHIPS 1) OVEN 350 2) STIR DRY INGREDIENTS TOGETHER 3) BEAT OIL, APPLESAUCE AND SUGAR. ADD EGGS AND VANILLA. BEAT WELL 4) ADD FLOUR MIX ALTERNATELY WITH PUMPKIN, BEGINNING AND ENDING WITH FLOUR 5) MIX UNTIL COMBINED. ADD CHOCOLATE CHIPS. DO NOT OVERBEAT 6) POUR INTO GREASED 9X5X2 LOAF PAN AND BAKE 60-70 OR UNTIL TESTER COMES OUT CLEAN YIELD – 12 SLICES EACH SLICE: 125 KCAL; 30 GM CARB; 4 GM FIBER; 5 GM SUGAR