Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

I made another recipe from my Vegan Lunchbox cookbook today.....it's a heavy and hearty pumpkin bread. I adapted the recipe from said cookbook to create this:

1 cup plain canned pumpkin or pureed squash (I used pumpkin that I baked up from an uncut jack-o-latern pumpkin last night)
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup oil oil
2 TB whole flax seeds (blended until ground)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup chocolate chips
½ cup almonds, chopped
Cinnamon-Sugar (I used Penzey's brand....my favorite!)

Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray a bread pan well with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Put the pumpkin, water, canola oil, ground flax seed, and vanilla in a blender and process on high for at least one minute, until light in color and well-blended. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Add the pumpkin mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon or large spatula until well-blended. Fold in the chocolate chips and almonds.

Spoon the batter into the bread pan. Sprinkle the top with some Cinnamon-Sugar.

Bake for 45-60 minutes, until a cake tested inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then use a spatula to gently lift from the pan. Finish cooling on a wire rack.

**My notes: I was horrified at the amount of sugar in this recipe and would definitely scale it back next time I make it! It had a good flavor, but was a really heavy, dense bread, not light and airy at all. Not a problem, just not exactly what I expected. Also, the bread stuck to the bottom of the pan, so I would suggest HEAVILY greasing it. Could also be made into muffins.**