Yes, you read that headline right. Cricket protein is slowly growing in popularity, with more companies jumping on the band wagon, selling everything from cricket flour to cricket protein bars.
Not only are crickets incredibly sustainable (they emit 100 times less greenhouse gas!) and less wasteful than meat, but they have an extremely high nutrient profile. Two tablespoons of cricket powder contains about 10 grams of protein, along with other vitamins and minerals, such as iron, calcium, B12, and more.
Now don’t get me wrong, I hate the thought of eating bugs. But after trying some cricket flour snacks at work, I couldn’t resist experimenting in the name of ~the blog~. Here’s the key: don’t think too hard about it. In flour form, it doesn’t seem as terrifying as chomping on a roasted cricket. I decided to start with pumpkin bread because it’s a very flavorful baked good, loaded with cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, and therefore more likely to disguise the earthy flavor of the cricket flour.
When baking with cricket flour, it’s important to only substitute up to 1/3 cup of the flour with cricket flour. Otherwise, it will effect the texture and taste too much. There are many websites that sell cricket flour, but I just found mine on Amazon. It is somewhat expensive, so I ordered a small packet to ease myself into this adventure.
Now onto the food! Pumpkin bread may just be my favorite fall recipe, especially when it’s accompanies by chocolate. This version, adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie, is loaded with whole-grain spelt flour, spices, and yes, crickets. It’s also vegan and oil-free. Like I said before, I promise you can’t taste a thing! Trust me, if my family can eat it without tasting it, you can too.
VEGAN Protein Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup spelt flour
- 1/4 cricket flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 2 tbs ground flax seed
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl. combine the wet ingredients and the flax seed and mix well.
In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients until combined. Pour the wet into the dry and stir well.
Spray a loaf pan with nonstick spray and pour the batter into it. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy for breakfast, as a snack, or even dessert!