When you frequently experiment with recipes, especially baking recipes, you’re bound to stumble across a disaster or two. I’ve certainly had my fair share.
But every once in awhile, that disaster isn’t really a disaster- it’s just something else entirely. Like this gingerbread:
Let me back up. I received this gift pack from Seventh Generation and the encouragement to come up with a dish that incorporates the flavors from the products’ ingredients.
I loved the Fresh Citrus & Ginger scent and it seemed appropriate for the season, so I figured I’d go with that. In addition to citrus and ginger it has cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Perfect!
I was in the mood for something baked {when am I not?} and a quick bread sounded like the perfect solution. In my head I was envisioning those orange cranberry muffin mixes I always see at the grocery store. I decided I was going to make a citrus spiced pecan version. Ha.
So I played around with some recipes and ingredients, and finally came up with my recipe. Time to give it a try!
I started with one of my banana bread recipes, took out the banana, and swapped in apple sauce, orange juice, and a heap of spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger. Since the dish soap flavor I was channeling was citrus & ginger, I really wanted the ginger to stand out, so I used fresh grated ginger in addition to the powdered kind to give it a little kick.
Into the oven it went; out it came.
I don’t know why I was startled to see it was brown instead of white like the muffin mixes- I used whole wheat flour after all.
Then I sliced into it and helped myself to a still warm from the oven helping. I could smell the aroma of fall spices drifting out of the bread as soon as I cut into it. It reminded me of something…
As soon as I took a bite, I knew what it reminded me of: gingerbread.
And then it hit me: I’d just made gingerbread. Why I didn’t put two and two together before that moment, I have no idea. Let’s blame it on pregnancy brain.
So this bread is nowhere near what I thought I was trying to make in my head, but I sure did end up with a darn good gingerbread- nice and light, and perfect for a snack in this chilly pre-holiday weather.
I guess the moral of the story is not every disaster is really a disaster; it just depends on your perspective.
Citrus Pecan Gingerbread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- orange zest
Instructions
Add vinegar to almond milk. Stir & set aside.
Mix dry ingredients.
Stir in almond milk, orange juice, and applesauce.
Stir in pecans and orange zest.
Spread into loaf pan. Top with extra orange zest if desired.
Bake at 350 degrees for ~40 minutes. Tester should come out clean.
Let cool slightly before removing from pan.
Or double up the recipe and make a loaf-cake!
The Le Creuset pan makes it easy, and clean up’s a breeze with the Seventh Generation dish soap!
The best part of this whole thing? You now have a chance to win the same gift pack I received and I promise- you want it.
It’s four full sized bottles of Seventh Generation liquid dish soap in a variety of scents, including their Free & Clear scent free version, along with some natural cleaning supplies: Twist loofah sponges & scour pads, and colorful organic dish towels. There’s also a 3 quart Le Creuset baking dish. Yes, you read that right- Le Creuset can be yours. 
You can also enter their “Nature Makes Perfect Scents” contest to win a trip to Italy, France, or Vermont, where Seventh Generation gets their essential oils.
For a chance to win the prize pack pictured above, answer one of these two questions in the comments:
- Which of the Seventh Generation natural dish liquid varieties are you most interested in trying?
- Which essential oil sourcing site would you be most excited to visit, if you were to win the “Nature Makes Perfect Scents” sweepstakes?
For bonus entries, you can:
- “Like” the Seventh Generation Facebook page and tell them the answer to one of those questions too.
- “Like” the with a Side of Sneakers Facebook page and tell me what you would bake in the Le Creuset baking dish if you win.
- Tweet this: “@sideofsneakers is giving away a @SeventhGen prize pack including dish soap & Le Creuset baking dish http://ow.ly/7gx24.”
Please leave a separate comment for each entry method. You have until Friday at midnight!
Disclosure: The Seventh Generation Natural Dish Liquid prize pack, product and information have been provided by Seventh Generation through MyBlogSpark.
P.S. Don’t miss my 27 week update: pregnancy by the numbers.
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