A healthy pumpkin spice treat

There’s no shortage of delectable pumpkin treats this month, but low calorie they are not.

Pumpkin Spice lattes pack a wallop of sugar; so do all the pumpkin muffins, donuts, cookies and, well, pies that are consumed as we welcome the fall.

But real pumpkin can actually add vitamins, minerals and fiber to your baked goods (especially Vitamin A, C and Potassium), so as long as you’re smart about what your other ingredients are the pumpkin obsession can actually be good for you.

Here’s a low sugar pumpkin bread recipe that uses mostly maple syrup instead of sugar for a lower calorie count and spelt flour instead of whole wheat. Spelt can be easier to digest for some people who struggle with wheat – though it is not gluten free – and is a tasty alternative to wheat.

The best thing about this recipe? It uses a lot of pumpkin, so it has a lot of vitamins — and the finished product is really, really orange.

Pumpkin Bread with Toasted Walnut Swirl

Slightly adapted via Sprouted Kitchen

Walnut Swirl

• 1 cup walnuts toasted in a pan until they start quietly sizzling and a toast smell is evident

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• 2 tablespoons of muscovado, brown or maple sugar

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Pumpkin Bread

• 2 cups spelt flour

•2 teaspoons baking powder

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons almond or soy milk

•2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 egg

• ½ cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment paper in a loaf pan and lightly oil the sides and bottom.

Mix the swirl ingredients and set aside.

In a smaller bowl, mix spelt flour, salt, baking powder and spices. In a larger bowl, mix pumpkin, oil, egg, milk, vanilla and maple syrup.

Mix dry ingredients into wet gently – until it is just combined. (Overmixing will make a tough cake.)

Put half the batter in the bottom of the loaf pan, spreading it out in an even layer. Sprinkle the swirl mixture over the top, and then spread the second half of the batter over it.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.