What kind of bread is from a garden pan? Recipe with weird title certainly worth trying.

The recipe couldn't have had a weirder name—Garden Pan Bread. But as I read the ingredients, I knew it was a "must-try". It called for pureed pumpkin (and I certainly had plenty of that stored in my freezer) and walnuts (plenty of those, too, because of Hubby's crusade about these Super Nuts). Then it specified the addition of cornmeal. What kind of mixture was this? I soon found out.

Garden Pan Bread (another recipe from the Chickasaw Nation Nutrition Services) was a delightful cross between corn bread and pumpkin bread. It contained no oil (the mashed pumpkin and water gave it all the moisture it needed). It can be baked in an ovenproof skillet, such as a black cast-iron skillet, or in a baking pan (as I did, using a square one that had been lightly sprayed).

The bread carved up into nice, firm little squares that have been wonderful with a variety of meals, including ones with spaghetti and salmon patties as entrees. Served warm they taste even better with some sugar-free preserves or my pumpkin butter spread on them. For lunch yesterday Garden Pan Bread squares were great with an assortment of grapes and veggies with fat-free ranch dip.

Weird name, yes, but I'm glad I tried them. The recipe makes ample, so I think I'll freeze some for the winter soup days that I'm sure are still ahead until we roll the calendar over to spring.

Garden Pan Bread

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

3/4 cup pureed pumpkin

1 cup water

2 eggs (or 1/2 cup egg substitute)

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl combine 1 cup cornmeal, 1 cup flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside. In a small bowl combine 3/4 cup pumpkin, 1 cup water, and eggs or egg substitute. Stir until well-mixed. Stir pumpkin mixture into cornmeal mixture. Mix until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently stir in 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup walnuts. Lightly spray skillet or baking pan. Spoon batter into skillet or baking pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until bread is golden brown and pulls away from edges. A wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the bread will emerge clean. Makes 12-15 servings depending on the size of your squares.