Requested Recipes

I've had a few recipes requests, so I thought it would be easier to post them here. I'm still working on the beginner artisan bread recipe, as I may need to photograph the steps.

The cranberry pumpkin bread is wonderful year-round, but especially in the fall. It makes great muffins or mini loaves for gifts. You can substitute applesauce for up to half of the oil, if you want a lower fat version. I like to sprinkle a little coarse turbinado sugar on top of the batter before it goes in the oven for a lovely, decorative finish. The barbecue sauce is a modified version of my mom's recipe. I love that it doesn't use ketchup, which has so much corn syrup and artificial ingredients. It's quite mild as written, but you can increase the cayenne or add Tabasco for more heat.

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

3 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour*
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp cinnamon**
¾ tsp ground ginger
¾ tsp allspice
¼ tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp salt
2 cups raw sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup coconut milk (or water)
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat together sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture alternately with coconut milk or water. Stir in cranberries and divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool; for best flavor, make one day ahead and let rest overnight before serving.

*If you don’t have pastry flour, use white wheat flour or half all purpose and half wheat.
**You can substitute 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice for the various individual spices listed if you prefer.

Super Simple Barbecue Sauce

1 Tbsp oil
1/4 cup finely minced onion
1 clove garlic, pressed or finely minced
8 oz tomato sauce
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp mild molasses
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
1 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
pinch of cayenne (optional)

Heat oil in medium saucepan. Add onions and sauté until translucent. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens (about 10 minutes). Sauce can be cooled and stored to brush on grilled meats; or, add 2 cups cooked, shredded beef or chicken directly to the pot and heat through to serve on buns for a quick meal.