I'm sure its a seasonal thing ... but I've been absolutely craving anything pumpkin since, well, August. I will have to admit, August is also the time when some prematurely turning leaves start making an appearance in our home. And once school starts ... it's fair warning that pumpkins, acorns, pumpkins and the like will appear in almost every room of our house.With that in mind, my taste buds turn to pumpkin. As it turns out, this is not one of those guilty pleasures we sometimes indulge during this most wonderful time of the year. Pumpkin is a whole food, full of amazing nutrients, and when paired with equally nutrient rich spices, like cinnamon, it can be a nutritional powerhouse of beta-carotene, vitamin A, potassium and many more. See the link below for a more in depth nutritional analysis.
When my son was a young toddler, he was, perhaps, the most picky eater known to mankind. He was absolutely distrustful of almost all foods, especially those with any kind of texture. He wanted to survive merely on milk alone ... and I was very grateful for at least that.
As most young, first-time Moms are, I became obsessed with finding ways for my son to eat vegetables. I discovered, quite by accident, that he loved the pumpkin bread at one of our local fast food restaurants, Burgerville. I was shocked because it was really quite spicy for an almost two-year-old.
Soon, I was experimenting at home, trying to recreate that pumpkin bread, only mine would be filled with vegetables. Here is the recipe I made over and over again. I froze it into individual servings, knowing that with each serving, he was getting at least 2-3 servings of vegetables.
Pumpkin Bars
1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoons cloves
1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 beaten eggs
1 16-ounce can pumpkin (my favorite is always Libbys)
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 zucchini, shredded
1 cup canola oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients and gradually add wet ingredients. Spread batter in an ungreased 15x10x1 baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes, checking after 25 minutes. It is done when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool completely and cut into 48 bars.
