Venture into vegan

Today is a ‘break out the bucket list and make a checkmark’ kind of day.  Marathon? Done!

We had great weather, lots of supportive friends, and enough energy to push through all 26.2 long, hilly miles of the Seattle Marathon.  It was a smooth run (minus a few choice words that just slipped out at certain points!), and a wonderful day.  I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to tearing up a little bit as we crossed the finish line*, but in the best way possible.

To prep for the race, my running buddy, Kristen, and I did a very fun spaghetti dinner last night. Being vegan, Kristen’s diet poses a conundrum for me when I attempt to make treats that she can also enjoy.  Between looking for a vegan option and wanting to use up the leftover cranberries that were still taking up residence in the fridge, my hopes were not high.  But then, in came this gem of a recipe.  It was moist and not too sweet, and the perfect dessert to send us off into marathon-ville.  

*I only disclose this fact because I know full well that the pictures they take at the end of the race will have captured this.  Darn paparazzi

Vegan Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

From Food.com

• 2 cups whole raw cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups white flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 5 tablespoons expeller-pressed canola oil
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• 3 tablespoons water
• ½ cup walnuts, optional

Directions

Blurry, eh?  As usual, got too excited to eat the cake!

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9 inch square (or round) cake pan with vegetable oil spray.
2. In the work bowl of a food processor, process the cranberries a few times until approximately quartered (or chop them by hand). Transfer the cranberries to a small bowl.
3. Add the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and powder, and spices) to the bowl of the food processor and process briefly to blend.
4. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the remaining (wet) ingredients. Then add in the dry ingredients and cranberries to the mixing bowl, using the muffin method to combine (e.g., mix as little as possible, leaving the batter airy and light). Mix in walnuts, if using. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
5. Bake until the bread has shrunk slightly away from the sides of the pan and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean (about 45 minutes, or 55 if using a loaf pan). If you cool it in the pan briefly (for about 5 minutes) it will be easier to remove it from the pan, but do not leave it sitting in the pan too long or it will get soggy on the bottom. Turn onto a rack to cool completely before putting in a airtight container, where it will keep for about 4 days, after which it begins to dry out.