It's Pumpkin Bread Time!

The actual name of this recipe is "Cranberry-Pumpkin Bread with Flaxseed," but I call it Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Bread because it's the 3/4 cup of chocolate chips I substitute for the cranberries that seems to lure Matthew in. It's absolutely delicious and so moist; the only real problem with this bread is the fact that I seem to eat just a little more of it than the boy does. Not because he loves it any less than I do, but because I seem to "forget" to offer it. (Is that wrong?) It's perfectly yummy for an after-lunch snack, and it's packed with healthy stuff, so there's no guilt involved. From The New American Plate Cookbook.

Canola oil spray
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup apple juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup dried cranberries (you could also use 3/4 cup chocolate chips)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat an 8x4-inch loaf pan with canola oil spray and set it aside. In a large bowl, combine the whole wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, flaxseed, sugar, baking soda, and salt, and set aside. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Whisk in the pumpkin, canola oil, applesauce, apple juice, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Stir in the dried cranberries. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until all the dry ingredients are fully incorporated into the batter. Do not beat or overmix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and continue cooling on the rack.