Things have lined up in a funny (should I say eerie?) way this week.  Last week I felt hectic, rushed, and that there wasn’t enough time in the day, and this week things fell into place – appointments scheduled neatly around my other calendar items, time felt long enough, and my to-do list has practically to-done itself.  The weather was rainy on the day I stayed in to do work, and sunny when I needed to be out and about on my bike.  The webinar I watched on ancient grains yesterday provided info for this post, which I’ve had on the docket for months.

So you’re thinking: wow, that’s nice.  How nice for you.  What’s in it for me?  And so I’m happy to reply: the chance to win a free, colorful, beautiful cookbook!  The folks at Grain Crazy, mother and daughter team Britney and Cherie, offered to give one of my readers their newest book, Quinoa Crazy.  I only do sponsored posts if I truly like and use the ingredient or food, so this one was an easy “yes!” when they asked.  I’m sharing my version of their quinoa pumpkin bread below, and all you have to do to be eligible to win is to 1) leave a comment at the bottom of the post and 2) like the Facebook post about this blog.  I’ll choose a winner at random on Wednesday, November 4th!

A few words about quinoa:

The plant is not actually a grass like wheat or oats, but quinoa seeds (the part you eat) have similar nutrient content and cooking methods so they’re often lumped together functionally.  It’s a complete protein (contains all 9 essential amino acids), is gluten-free, and can be eaten cooked or raw.  A crazy fact from the webinar I mentioned: The world has over 50,000 edible plants, but just three of them – rice, maize and wheat – provide 60% of the world’s food energy intake.  Diversifying your food intake is one of the best ways to be sure you’re getting all the nutrients you need, so experiment with whole grains beyond those 3!

Start with this seasonal pumpkin bread

And let me know how it goes if you do!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup old fashioned oats + a few tables spoons for adding to the top
• 1 cup quick-cooking steel cut oats*
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds*
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup dark mini chocolate chips
• 1 cup quinoa, cooked
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1 cup pumpkin puree

*my additions to the recipe

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Mix together dry ingredients (first 7) in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, combine the honey, egg, and pumpkin until smooth and even.  Add to the dry ingredients and stir only as much as necessary to combine.  Pour the batter into a greased (I used coconut oil) loaf pan.  Bake for 40-45 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean (some chocolate on it is ok).  Let the bread cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack (crucial for allowing steam to release; this is a very moist bread!).  Slice and enjoy!