deep dark "secret" chocolate breakfast bread (gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soy-free)

Shhhh...The "secret" bread will soon reveal itself. But first, I shall regale you with the tale of how the bread came to be!

Having been born and raised and lived the majority of my adult life in NYC, it became easy to convince myself that everything on earth is made of concrete and smells bad. So you can understand why - upon seeing the sheer beauty of the landscape during our long weekend outside of Bend, Oregon - I might have had a few moments involving the kind of tears normally seen in game show winners. Sobs of ecstasy at seeing something in its natural state might sound ridiculous but I will testify that it CAN happen to you. And when it does, you will suddenly feel bad for making fun of those folks who praise Jesus for helping them win that minivan. #blessed

I mean look at this and tell me your hands didn't suddenly start waving at heaven.

I call this one...Not the NYC Subway system

And despite seeing the supermoon that I won't see again until right around the time of my 60th(!!!) birthday, the iPhone photos - like everyone's iPhone photos of celestial events - are so incredibly bad that they have the unique whiff of old supermarket rag pics of Bigfoot. It could be the moon or it could be that I accidentally took a photo of absolutely nothing in the dark. I will spare you. You can thank me later.

We came home - still high on nature - and craving something warm and cozy delicious. Also, we had practically nothing in the fridge so since I couldn't blend up a salad from cupboard fixings, I cobbled together this incredibly moist, not too sweet, rich without being cloying quick bread. There are a multitude of unusual ingredients that - like nature itself - make for a surprisingly delicious combination. Baby food prune puree and sweet potato puree are excellent staples to keep on hand for making cakes, breads, and muffins lower in fat and sugar (since a thick puree replaces much of the fat and adds its own sweetness). And don't skip the tahini (sesame puree). It adds a depth and richness that other seed and nut butters can't without adding flavor.

I'm calling it a breakfast bread because I think it would be amazing with a good cup of creamy coffee, but it was also so good with a hot cup of tea.

Every bread should have a...secret (i.e. that this bread has baby food in it)

deep dark "secret" chocolate breakfast bread
2 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder
1 2/3 cups organic baby food (a combination of sweet potato and beet, or just baby food prunes - I use Earth's Best Organics baby food)
1/4 cup tahini (If you are allergic to sesame seeds, you may replace with almond butter. Or if allergic to nuts and seeds, replace with 1/4 cup olive oil or unrefined coconut oil)
1/4 cup coconut nectar (Or use maple syrup)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar OR coconut vinegar
2 tsps vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using a food processor, blend oats until flour-like in consistency (but maintain some rough texture). Add remaining dry ingredients to food processor with ground oats and blend until combined. Add wet ingredients all at once and blend until combined.
Pour batter into a bowl and add chocolate chips.

Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan or line with parchment paper. Add batter to pan and bake for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, turn off oven and allow cake to remain in oven for additional 10 minutes with door closed.

Serve warm if possible. But if you are actually one of those people who can practice self-control, by all means go crazy on this bad boy the next day.