I make no apologies for my love of fall in New England. Us fall fans take some flack, especially at this time of year when the maple trees are *just* beginning to turn but the temperatures still often scream “summer hasn’t left yet!”, but I say bring it on! I couldn’t resist stocking up on some canned pumpkin this past week, and wanted to share one of my favorite fall traditions: my health-ish pumpkin bread. I love this recipe, which is a hybrid of at least three recipes I’ve tried, because it uses the whole can of pumpkin. I’ve never understood the recipes that call for just part of the can…what do you do with the extra?! This one uses extra pumpkin in place of some of the oil and sugar, yet remains so delicious. Enjoy, and have fun ringing in the most wonderful time of the year!

Healthy-ish Pumpkin Spice Bread

yield: one loaf

1 can of pureed pumpkin

2 eggs

2 cups of whole wheat flour

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup of sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup of chopped pecans, optional

Preheat oven to 325 f. Grease a loaf pan, bottom and sides. Mix pumpkin, oil, and eggs together in a large bowl. Add sugar and spices; mix thoroughly. Mix baking soda together with the flour, and gradually add it to the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix until just combined– do not over-mix. If desired, add pecans. Pour evenly into the loaf pan. Bake about 75 minutes, checking to see if the center is done with a toothpick. Cool before slicing and serve with cream cheese or butter.