I think I should be clear that I’m not wheat free, nor am I a vegan. BUT. After a few too many servings of this fall favorite…

…I figured it wouldn’t hurt to “clean up” my treat of choice for a few days. So I made a handful of replacements in my favorite Classic Pumpkin Bread recipe. The result is not only delicious, but it’s like…really healthy too.

* wheat-free
* can be easily made gluten-free (just use gluten-free oats)
* vegan
* no refined sugar
* entire loaf is under 1000 calories

ingredients:

• 1/2 can (7.5 ounces) canned pumpkin puree
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 2 tbsp ground flax meal + 4 tbsp warm water (to make a flax “egg”)
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 1/2 cups oat flour *
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• optional: chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, etc.

* I actually made the oat flour myself by putting 1.5 cups of regular rolled oats in the food processor until achieving desired consistency. I kept mine pretty chunky to achieve a more hearty texture.

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan.
2. Combine pumpkin, banana, maple syrup, and flax egg large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
4. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, combine.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Let cool for a few minutes before removing from loaf pan. Store in refrigerator.

I feel crazy for even saying this, but I think I actually might like this loaf better than it’s classic predecessor! It’s dense, chewy, and not too sweet. Perfect for breakfast, a snack, or dessert.

What is your favorite fall treat (healthy or not)?