"Recovery Ride" Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread

This stuff is so good I had no choice but to share. Well, I actually ate it all myself, but I mean "share" in terms of passing along this recipe.

So how did the batch of pleasure come together...Okay, so what I did was I took Mom's famous pumpkin bread recipe that I grew up eating by the pound, and modified it for us somewhat overly food focused cyclists. And because, every one of us are sensitive to gluten, just to varying degrees, I took the gluten out of it (or at least I think I did because gluten is in so much stuff I can't be bothered to check every label). I also made certain modifications, with muscle recovery, antioxidants, etc. in mind.

First of all, pumpkin in itself is a power food. It's loaded with antioxidant beta-carontene, which your body converts to Vitamin A. It is also loaded with Vitamin C and potassium. So it's good from the start. Next, the substitutions. Specifically, I used olive oil in place of butter. The beneficial health effects of olive oil are due to both its high content of monounsaturated fatty acids and its high content of antioxidative substances. Studies have shown that olive oil offers protection against heart disease by controlling LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels while raising HDL (the "good" cholesterol) levels. I also added coconut oil. Coconut oil is really good for you, including maintaining cholesterol levels, increased immunity, proper digestion, bone strength, metabolism and get this...weight loss for us power to weight enamored athletes. It also included added protein, glutamine, and branch chain amino acids.

So enough with all the analysis...here you go and enjoy!

1 1/2 Cup of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Whole Grain Oat Flour

1 Tablespoon of Baking Soda

3/4 Teaspoon of Salt

3/4 Tablespoon of Cinnamon

3/4 Tablespoon of Nutmeg

1/4 Teaspoon of Ginger

1 1/2 Cup of Sugar (you could give Stevia a try?)

1/2 Cup of Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 Cup of Coconut Oil

2 Eggs

1/4 Cup of Water

1 Cup of Pumpkin

1/2 Cup of Protein Powder

15 grams of L - Glutamine Powder

15 grams of Branch Chain Amino Acid Powder

Blend well and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes in a small bread loaf pan (fill each pan half way and it will make 2 small loaves).

Let cool, enjoy and recover!!!