Tuesday, November 18, 2008

The Only Stuffing Should Be In The Bird

Thanksgiving starts the holiday season for a lot of us - the weight-gaining season. In an effort to combat that, I thought I'd share the recipe for the *good* version of pumpkin bread I'll be baking today! This recipe comes from Hungry Girl. If you don't subscribe, you really should. It's a great source of diet tips, food alternatives and revamped recipes. (The only thing I've changing in this recipe is adding a few tablespoons of golden flax meal for added fiber. And possibly some walnuts.) You can see this recipe on the site and its comparison to regular pumpkin bread here.

Right Said Bread

After getting a BAZILLION requests for pumpkin bread, we figured it was time to make some. And after EIGHT attempts, we got it just right. Try it and see!

Ingredients:
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Original Egg Beaters)
1/2 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1/4 cup brown sugar (not packed)
1/4 cup Ocean Spray Craisins Original Sweetened Dried Cranberries (or regular raisins), chopped
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine both types of flour, Splenda, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and pumpkin pie spice (in other words, all dry ingredients except for the Craisins or raisins).

In a medium bowl, mix together pumpkin, egg substitute, and vanilla extract (all the wet ingredients). Add this mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients, and stir until just blended.

Slowly sprinkle chopped Craisins or raisins into the batter, making sure they don't all stick together, and mix to distribute them.

Spoon batter into a large loaf pan (about 9" X 5") sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the top of the loaf is firm to the touch. (Bread may be moist inside. This doesn't mean it's undercooked.) Allow to cool, and then cut into 8 slices. Enjoy!

MAKES 8 SERVINGS
Serving Size: 1 (thick!) slice
Calories: 143
Fat: 0.5g
Sodium: 281mg
Carbs: 31g
Fiber: 4.5g
Sugars: 9g
Protein: 5g

POINTS® value 2*

HG Alternative! To make this bread into muffins, evenly distribute the batter among 8 cups of a muffin pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Cook for 35 minutes at 350 degrees, let cool, and enjoy!

If you make this, let me know! I'd love to know what you think. Do you have any tips or tricks for making Thanksgiving a little easier on the waistline? Share!

10 comments:

  1. I never sub in anything for Thanksgiving or Christmas, well Nana cooks Thanksgiving. The only way I cut is to do a bit less butter than my Nana which is not hard to do. Since I think she has a cow hidden somewhere in her apartment.

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  2. NICE--thanks for the recipe. I'm so going to try this!!!

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  3. The only suggestion I have for TG is to try and eat smaller portions. I'm such a glutton, I pile my plate with everything and since I was raised to always clean my plate, it usually means trouble. This year, I'm going to try and only take small amounts - and no seconds... and no nibbling afterwards. Christmas is another story, and I'm guessing it'll end with a January diet.

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  4. I've never baked with Splenda before. But I'm a huge cranberry fan, so I'll definitely have to try it.

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  5. Since I started acupuncture I have noticed that a bite or two is all I want of something.

    Recipe looks good!

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  6. What fresh new hell is this? Cutting calories on Thanksgiving? Blasphemy. That's what I'm strving now for-so I can eat till my heart's content on turkey day.

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  7. Yum! I love pumpkin bread.

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  8. ooh yum!

    I may try that!

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  9. Yum. That sounds so so so good - except for the craisins/raisins. I love Hungry Girl!

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