Roasted veggies are a staple in my fridge. Whenever I make them for dinner, I make a double batch so we can eat them for various lunch incarnations throughout the week – think tossed through pasta, quinoa, salad or topped with a fried egg – I feel like if I have roasted veggies in the fridge, I’m half-way to making a delicious meal, and quickly.
I was looking for some kind of savoury muffin to take on our long car trips and to be honest this Pumpkin, Carrot & Haloumi bread was born out of laziness and cooking with a toddler – a loaf tin was more manageable in our tiny van kitchen than individual muffins. It contains just a few ingredients that can all be mixed together in one bowl so get the kids in the kitchen to help you with this one – remember, kids will be more inclined to eat a food they’ve helped to prepare.
This savoury bread is full of fibre, protein and sustaining energy, making it a portable powerhouse of nutrition. I’d say it’s also quite versatile – swap the pumpkin with sweet potato and the haloumi with another cheese of choice. Who doesn’t love haloumi? But Parmesan would also be great. The key to adding flavour is roasting the pumpkin and carrot and allowing them turn a little brown so the sugars begin to caramelise before taking them out the oven – when we cooked ours, much of the pumpkin had softened completely but the carrots still held their shape. You could also up the flavour-ante and add some organic miso paste or sundried tomato to the mix too. Next time I’ll add some chopped parsley too.
This result was a low and dense bread that sliced well. A warning though, it is deliciously moreish and best-eaten warm from the oven. If eating cold, pop a slice in the toaster for a few minutes to warm through first. Otis was happy to eat his piece plain for lunch today, but we topped ours with homemade tomato chutney & ham, and avocado & rocket… so good.
Pumpkin, Carrot & Haloumi Bread
Serves: 1 loaf – Prep time: 10-mins – Cook time: 50-mins (+ roasting time)
Ingredients:
- 350g roasted pumpkin and carrot (sweet potato also works well)
- 3 eggs, preferably organic or free-range
- 1 cup gluten-free flour, I like this one
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarb soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 180g diced haloumi, preferably organic
- Optional extras: Organic miso paste, sun-dried tomato, fresh parsley
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 180’C.
- Mash half of the roasted pumpkin and carrot with a fork
- Line a loaf tin with baking paper, preferably unbleached.
- Crack eggs in to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
- Add sea salt and thyme and mix to combine.
- To a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and bicarb soda.
- Combine egg and flour mix, stir to combine. Add mashed and roasted veggies and haloumi and mix until combined.
- Spoon the mix in to your loaf tin and smooth the top.
- Bake for approx. 50-minutes, or until cooked through and golden on top.
- Allow to cool slightly in the tin before removing.
- Keep in the fridge for up to 3-days or slice and freeze.
Happy Cooking!
Lucy x
