Cranberry Pecan Bread with fresh cranberries; Meatless Monday

Remember that bag of cranberries I have been cooking with lately?? Well that bag of fresh cranberries is not done yet! So, I decided to try and make some cranberry pecan bread!

Breads are not only easy to make, it tastes great and most importantly, my kids, colleagues everyone likes it! It is also much healthier compared to cakes. So less work and much healthier. You can eat it as a dessert or as a snack with a cup of tea or coffee.It came out absolutely delicious! Do try it if you get a chance!

Servings: makes one 9 x 5 loaf

Ingredients:

Flour: 2 cups
Butter: 2 tbsp
Sugar: 1 cup
Egg: 1, well beaten ( Mix 1 tbsp flaxmeal with 3 tbsp water for vegetarians).
Baking powder: 1 1/2 tsp
Baking soda: 1/2 tsp
Yogurt: 1 cup
Orange zest: 1 tbsp
Salt: 1/4 tsp
Fresh cranberries, chopped: 1 1/2 cups
Chopped pecans: 1/2 cup

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan and keep aside.

Cream butter and sugar, until creamy.

Add the beaten eggs, yogurt, vanilla essence, orange zest,salt, baking powder and baking soda and mix well. Do not over mix.

Now mix in the flour little at a time and mix until well blended.

Add in the chopped cranberries

and pecans and mix gently.

Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan . Place it on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 45 minutes .

At the end of 45 minutes if it is still wet in the center, cover a piece of foil on top of the bread and bake for 10 more minutes.

Take it out of the oven and let it cool in the loaf pan for 10-15 minutes before taking it out of the pan.

 After this time, take it out of the loaf pan and let it cool down completely on a cooling rack before slicing it; around 1 hour.

Eat it as a snack with some hot tea or as a healthy dessert!

I am bringing this to Angie's anniversary party for all those friends who are staying back late enjoying the festivities! I am sure Nancy and Selma , the gracious co-hosts will appreciate the extra food considering the crowd!

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

There are two way to grease baking pans and trays. One, is applying butter/oil to the pan/ tray and then sprinkling some flour on top. Overturn the pan over the sink to get rid of the excess flour. The second way to do it is to liberally spray a non-stick spray on the pan/tray!

Tip for healthy living:

Pecans are healthy and make for a great snack. They are extremely nutrient-dense and are rich in mono saturated fatty acids like oleic acid and an excellent source of phenolic antioxidants. They are also rich in minerals like manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium. They are a great source of B-complex vitamins.

Food for thought:

To be prepared is half the victory. Miguel de Cervantes