Avocado Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 4 egg whites
• 1 ripe Avocado, seeded, peeled and mashed
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 (15-oz.) can of unsweetened, puréed pumpkin
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine milk and lemon juice and let stand.
3. Spoon flours into dry measuring cups and level with a knife. Whisk together with the baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.
4. Combine sugar, egg whites, avocado, vanilla extract and eggs in a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer at a high speed until blended.
5. Add milk/lemon juice to sugar mixture.
6. Add water and canned pumpkin, beating at a low speed until combined together.
7. Add flour mixture to above mixture and beat at a low speed just until combined (don’t over mix).
8. Fold in chocolate chips.
9. Coat two loaf pans (9×5-inch each) with cooking spray.
10. Spoon batter into pans and fill half-way. Sprinkle almonds evenly over batter.
11. Bake loaves for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
12. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and then remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

Note: This recipe also can be used to make muffins. When baking in muffin tins, cook for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Yields: 2 Loaves