Jennifer Arrington

I first learned of celiac disease while studying for my masters in nutrition and immunology at Texas A&M University. Prior to this, I had been sick for over six years with unexplained health problems. After discussing my options with a local physician, I decided to try the gluten free diet. Within days the symptoms had resolved! Ten years and two healthy children later, I am still gluten free. In an effort to help bring celiac disease into the mainstream, I have recently published a Christian romance novel, Trusting for Tomorrow, that highlights the struggles of diagnosing and living with celiac disease. Follow my blog at www.jenniferinjupiter.wordpress.com.

Published on 02/1/2012

During the holidays I find myself missing certain holiday foods terribly. The one that really gets me is pumpkin pie. No matter what anyone says, it’s just not possible to make a gluten-dairy-sugar-free pumpkin pie and call it a pie...

So, this holiday, in the quest for something pumpkin-y I came up with a simple recipe for pumpkin bread that I can eat with abandon, that tastes great, and that doesn’t contain any gluten, dairy, or table sugar (sucrose).

Gluten-Free Pumkin Bread Ingredients

1 package (8 oz.) Fearn Brown Rice Baking Mix. The box contains 2 packages of mix – 8oz each.
1 - 15 oz. can pumpkin
½ to 1 tsp. cinnamon
½ to 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs
½ cup olive oil
½ cup unsweetened applesauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.
Place a small amount of olive oil in the bottoms of 4 mini-loaf pans. (I use ceramic pans purchased from Michaels for a whopping 99c each).
In a large mixing bowl, mix eggs and pumpkin until well blended.
Add oil and applesauce and mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine one package of Fearn Brown Rice Baking Mix with the cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. (I vary my amounts of spice depending on the mood of the day but usually use between ½ - 1 tsp of each.)
Mix the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until all ingredients are well blended. The mixture will be quite thick.
Spoon into 4 prepared mini-loaf pans.
Bake at 350F for 35-45 minutes or until the tops are brown. Test for "doneness" with a toothpick.

I enjoy my pumpkin bread served warm with Organic Smart Balance butter spread. My children (who can thankfully eat mostly anything) eat it with a dollop of Redi Whip. If I eat it for dessert, I heat up a slice and then add Silk Soy Vanilla Yogurt on the side. This quite satisfies my dessert-with-cream longing.

Happy gluten-free eating!