
When Bec at Go Vita Tenterfield told me she thought that walnuts would be our ingredient of the month I did a little happy dance. I am such a big fan of nuts as they have multiple health benefits and they are little powerhouses of good fats, fibre, antioxidants and nutrients. I am also a big fan of buying things that are not wrapped in plastic!
Lara Flanagan
Yields 8-10 generous slices
I love the combination of walnuts and pumpkin. this is an easy bread to make and ideal if you are looking for a little warm, winter comfort food.
45 minPrep Time
50 minCook Time
1 hr, 35 Total Time
Ingredients
- 280 gram plain gluten-free flour
- 150 gram light brown sugar
- 120 gram roughly chopped walnuts
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon + more for pumpkin of ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground clove
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/3 cup olive oil + a little more
- 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
- 1 Kent Pumpkin – this recipe only uses 400 gram of cooked pumpkin but I cut a whole pumpkin up as I used the leftovers for salads!
- 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts (for topping)
- 2 tablespoons of pepitas (for topping)
- 1 tablespoon of Demera Sugar (for topping)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius
- Line two baking trays with baking paper
- Peel, de-seed and roughly chop pumpkin
- Lightly coat in olive oil and spread on the baking trays
- Sprinkle with salt and ground cinnamon
- Roast for 30 minutes until pumpkin tender. Remove from oven.
- Line loaf tin with baking paper or lightly grease.
- Mix dry ingredients in bowl
- Add the pumpkin, almond milk, vanilla essence, olive oil and maple syrup to blender and blend until smooth
- Combine wet and dry ingredients being careful not to over mix.
- Pour into loaf tin and then top with the combined topping ingredients.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Beautiful served warm and also keeps and freezes beautifully.
Notes
Vegan. Plant-based. Dairy-free. Gluten-free.
The kids and I are trying to reduce our carbon footprints at the moment and one of the most obvious things we can do is reduce the amount of plastic we use.
So as these incredible walnuts are not pre-packed and are available in bulk, you can get as little or as many as you need.
You will find paper bags to use as well at Tenterfield Health. With walnuts, not only are you looking after your health, but you are also doing your little bit for the environment. And as I am learning, every little bit helps.
There are so many ways to use walnuts that I was a little bit stuck with my recipe this month purely because I could not decide!
They are fabulous sprinkled on leafy greens and salads or finely ground in dips and sauces. They can be served on top of your favourite oatmeal, porridge or cereal or chopped and added to your sandwiches and wraps.
Finely ground they are a great addition to a plant-based bolognaise or chilli and they are beautifully roasted with vegetables.
For some reason, I have been hankering after a sweet bread so I thought I would make a Walnut and Pumpkin Bread this month. I love the combination of walnuts and pumpkin and was so happy with how this bread turned out. A little bit of sweet comfort food.
Courtesy of Lara Flanagan.
Lara is the author of My Notes from New England, a blog that takes a humorous look at the adventures of a single mum with two young twins who enjoys cooking, eating well, living in the country and travelling the world looking to inspire and be inspired.
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