Eggless Dried Fruits
It's often difficult to make the case that a baked treat is reasonably healthy to consume without guilt. When the treat comes studded with an array of nuts and dried fruits, has no butter/oil (we will ignore the fat from the nuts for now ;)), has a relatively low quantity of refined sugar, and just enough flour to bind the nuts and fruits together, it's slightly easier to convince even the hardened skeptic.
This loaf/bread fits the bill nicely, in my opinion. It has a far greater ratio of nuts and fruits compared to sugar and flour. It is mildly sweet, and is dense with a good dose of fruits and nuts. One slice of it would make a satisfying breakfast, a mid-afternoon snack, and would even come in handy during long hikes.
Ingredients:
Let the loaf cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, and then gently remove from pan. Let the loaf cool completely before cutting into slices.
Serve as is for a quick and filling snack / breakfast.
This loaf/bread fits the bill nicely, in my opinion. It has a far greater ratio of nuts and fruits compared to sugar and flour. It is mildly sweet, and is dense with a good dose of fruits and nuts. One slice of it would make a satisfying breakfast, a mid-afternoon snack, and would even come in handy during long hikes.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Egg substitute - equivalent of 3 eggs (I used and recommend "Ener-G Egg Replacer")
- 1.5 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups - coarsely chopped cashews, almonds, and dried cranberries (this was a mixed bag, part of a trail mix that I got from the store)
- 1/4 cup pitted, chopped dates
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup coarsely chopped apricots
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- Preheat oven to 300 F. Prepare a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan by spraying with non-stick baking spray and dusting with flour
- Soak the apricots and raisins in orange juice for 30 minutes
- Mix the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, nutmeg, and salt
- Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Add the egg substitute (or whisked eggs), vanilla extract, and milk. Stir until combined.
- Add all the nuts, dates, and fruits (along with orange juice), and stir into the batter. The batter will be quite thick. Drizzle a little more milk or orange juice, if you feel the batter is too thick
- Transfer to loaf pan and smooth out the top
- Bake for 1 hour - 1 hour 10 minutes until a tester comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Let the loaf cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, and then gently remove from pan. Let the loaf cool completely before cutting into slices.
Serve as is for a quick and filling snack / breakfast.
