Lemon Loaf with Almonds

We’re entering the final week of the Virtual Potluck Tasty and Healthy New Year Challenge featuring products from Bob’s Red Mill and California Olive Ranch. Each week so far in 2012, we’ve paired a flour or grain with an olive oil and created a dish using both. Our final challenge is to create a dessert with Whole Wheat Pastry Flour and Everyday California Extra Virgin Olive Oil. You’ll have a chance to win both products in one last giveaway, but more on that later.

Chocolate-Ginger Cupcakes were my first idea for a dessert using whole wheat pastry flour and olive oil. Then my fellow Virtual Potluck blogger GrooVy Foody had to go and publish her revolutionary Chocolate Quinoa Cupcakes last week. I mean, who can compete with that? I’ll save my chocolate cupcakes for Valentine’s Day.

My next thought was to do something lemony. Lemon and olive oil naturally go together being Mediterranean and all. Some may not consider bread to be a dessert, but I certainly do, especially when it’s loaded with crunchy almonds and covered in a sweet, lemony glaze.

This recipe is an example of why you don’t have to be afraid of sugar. People with diabetes can eat sugar IN MODERATION. One slice of this loaf has 23g of carbohydrates. If that fits in your daily meal plan, you can eat this even though it has sugar in it.

I have one last note about this bread. I made it the night before leaving on a trip to the Florida Keys. I wrapped it up, fully intending for it to be breakfast the next morning. The Grillmaster and I were in such a rush, we decided to leave the bread wrapped and take it to Mom & Dad to thank them for driving us to the airport. We arrived at Mom & Dad’s house late in the evening and forgot about the bread until about 11 p.m. or so. I knew we’d be in another frenzy the next morning racing to the airport, so we decided to have a bedtime snack. Mom had gone to bed, but The Grillmaster, Dad and I stood at the kitchen counter “yumming” over the bread. I got an email from Mom once we got to Florida saying “The bread was really moist and lemony and I liked that it had lots of nuts. Really good.” So there you have it – this Lemon Loaf with Almonds gets the Diabetic Foodie’s Mom’s seal of approval!

Giveaway

Bob’s Red Mill and California Olive Ranch will be giving one lucky reader a bag of Whole Wheat Pastry Flour and a bottle of Everyday California Extra Virgin Olive Oil. To enter the contest:

• [mandatory] Visit the California Olive Ranch Facebook page and retrieve this week’s Virtual Potluck code word (click on Virtual Potluck in the left column). Then come back here and use the word in a comment on this post.
• [optional] Follow Bob’s Red Mill (@Bobs_Red_Mill), California Olive Ranch (@CA_EVOO) and Virtual Potluck (@virtualpotluck) on Twitter. Tweet about this contest, including a link to this post and the #virtualpotluck hashtag. Then comment here again, letting us know you’ve tweeted.
• [optional] Visit the Virtual Potluck roundup post and enter the giveaways on the other participating blogs.

The contest ends at midnight Eastern on Sun., Jan. 29, 2012. The winner will be announced on Mon., Jan. 30. You must have a U.S. mailing address to win. Good luck!

Discount

California Olive Ranch is offering a 10% discount for the duration of the Tasty & Healthy New Year Challenge. Just go to their online store and enter the coupon code BLOGFRIENDS at checkout.

Disclosure: I received free samples of Whole Wheat Pastry Flour from Bob’s Red Mill and Everyday California Extra Virgin Olive Oil from California Olive Ranch. I also received samples to give away on my blog.

Lemon Loaf with Almonds

Adapted from Holiday Diabetic Recipes (2011) from the editors of Diabetic Living

1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 cup nonfat milk
1/4 cup Everyday California Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

GLAZE (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar

Place almonds in a dry nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they have a bit of color and are toasted (about 5 minutes). Be careful not to let them burn. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together whole wheat pastry flour, all purpose flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center.

In a medium bowl, combine egg substitute, milk, olive oil, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Add this mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (don’t overmix) and fold in almonds. The batter will be a little bit lumpy – this is okay. Pour batter into loaf pan.

Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

If you have opted to add the glaze, mix the 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small bowl. While bread is still hot in the pan, poke holes in it with a skewer. Brush lemon-sugar mixture over top of loaf. Place pan on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes, then remove loaf from pan and let cool completely on wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before serving.

If you are not adding the glaze, place pan on a wire cooking rack for 10 minutes, then remove loaf from pan and let cool completely on wire rack.

Makes 16 servings
Per serving (includes glaze): 167 calories, 7g fat (1g sat), 0mg cholesterol, 96mg sodium, 23g carb, 2g fiber, 11g sugar, 4g protein

Nutritional Analysis: This bread is low in Cholesterol.