Holiday Pumpkin Pancakes

Here's a neat twist on pancakes to try over the holidays.  As regular readers will know, I'm a big fan of pumpkin recipes - they are an excellent low calorie way to add moistness and flavour to many baked products and desserts.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups whole grain flour
• 3 tbsp brown sugar Splenda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup skim milk
• 3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tbsp melted butter or margarine
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Simply make these pancakes as you would any other pancake.  Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Whisk the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.  Add the wet to the dry, and whisk just until smooth (batter will be thick). 

Heat a non stick pan over medium-high heat.  Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan.  Cook until bubbles form on the top of the pancake and bottoms are a bit brown, about 1 minute.  Flip and cook for about another 30 seconds or until they are cooked. 

Delicious with some cinnamon and Splenda sprinkled on top!

Makes about 15 pancakes.  

Per pancake:  About 80 calories, 3g fat (if made with butter), 9g carbohydrate, 3g protein. 

Thanks again goes to Deb's Kitchen for this creation. 

Happy Holidays!  

Dr Sue Pedersen www.drsue.ca © 2011 

drsuetalks@gmail.com

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Deb's Oatmeal Fruit Bake

From the kitchen of my best friend Deb comes a delectable low calorie treat!  A fantastic healthy baking choice over the holidays, and great comfort food in the cold!

Preheat oven to 350 F.   Spray a standard loaf pan with non stick spray, and construct your oatmeal bake in three delightfully simple steps:


BOTTOM LAYER:  Simply spread a single layer of your favorite fruit or berries on the bottom (about 1.5 cups).  My personal favorite is raspberries (pictured in the loaf) as it gives a nice tart flavor; blueberry banana is pictured in the slices below.


MIDDLE LAYER:  Mix the following ingredients in a bowl, and then spread evenly on top of your fruit layer:

• 1 cup oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup splenda

TOP LAYER: Mix the following ingredients in a bowl, and pour evenly over the middle layer.

• 2 cups milk
• 3 tbsp egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla

Bake at 350F for 45 minutes.  We suggest placing a cookie sheet covered in tin foil underneath the loaf pan, as Deb has noted that once in a while it has a tendency to expand over the top of the loaf pan.

TOPPING:  Deb's secret is to froth 1/8 cup of skim milk and spoon on top.  I enjoy sprinkling a bit of Splenda and cinnamon on top of the froth.  Delish!!


Makes 4 substantial servings, or 8 smaller snacks.


If you split it into 8 servings, per serving (with raspberries as fruit):

• 100 calories
• 6g protein
• 17g carbs

Enjoy!   I also encourage you to share recipes and healthy cooking ideas with your friends - it's a great way to have fun and support each other in leading a healthy lifestyle - Deb and I have a blast doing this together!

I'd also be thrilled to hear about any modifications you come upon with this recipe, or others on my website (posted here).

Dr Sue Pedersen www.drsue.ca © 2011 drsuetalks@gmail.com

Follow me on Twitter for daily tips! @drsuepedersen 

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Pumpkin Banana Spiced Custard

As Hallowe'en is soon upon us, many of our houses are undoubtedly filled with tempting treats to hand out to the kids on Monday night.  Here's a tasty dessert alternative from the Heart & Stroke Foundation, perfect for fall!   I'd be interested to know how you think it compares to the Crustless Pumpkin Pie recipe from Hungry Girl that I suggested previously.



INGREDIENTS:

• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup (250 mL) canned pure pumpkin
• 1/3 cup (80 mL) mashed banana - about 1 medium
• 1 cup (250 mL) evaporated skim milk
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) ground cinnamon
  
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) allspice
• 6 walnut halves

*editorial comment: I would personally use a little extra cinnamon and allspice for a stronger taste - I often find myself doubling these spices in pumpkin recipes



DIRECTIONS:


1.  Preheat oven to 325F (160C).


2.  Place 6, 1 cup (250 mL) ramekin bowls (also known as bouillion bowls) in a glass 13 x 9 inch (3.5L) baking dish.


3.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for the walnuts.  Pour into the ramekins.  Pour boiling water around the ramekins in the aking dish to a depth of 1 inch (2.5 cm).   Place 1 walnut half in the centre of each custard.


4.  Bake for 40 minutes.  Serve warm.   Consider sprinkling some extra cinnamon and allspice on top!





Makes 6 custards.  Each custard contains:

• 111 calories
• 6g protein
• 20g carbohydrate 
• 1g fat
• 83mg sodium
• 1g fiber

Enjoy! Thanks to my friend Patti for the heads' up on this great recipe.




Dr Sue Pedersen www.drsue.ca © 2011 drsuetalks@gmail.com

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Berry Sorbet Lemon Cups!

Here is a fantastically healthy dessert recipe that is aesthetically pleasing, low calorie, and diabetic friendly!   Perfect for summer.  I've seen different variations of this on many websites; I think it tastes wonderful with blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries. You decide which is best!

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 lemons
• 2 cups frozen blueberries or blackberries (or both!)
• 1/2 cup Danone Silhouette 0-Plus berry flavored yogurt
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 packet of Splenda sweetener

Cut a slice from the stem end of each lemon about 1/5 of the size of the entire lemon. Cut a sliver of peel from the opposite end so the lemon has a base to stand on. Carefully scoop out the flesh from inside the lemons, keeping the peel intact. Put the shells in a resealable freezer bag and freeze for at least 3 hours.

Just before serving, put the frozen berries directly into a food processor, and pulse until finely chopped. Add the yogurt, lemon juice, and Splenda, and process until smooth.

Spoon the sorbet into the lemon shells and serve immediately!

Makes 6 servings. Per serving: only 40 calories, and 9g of carbohydrate!


Dr Sue Pedersen www.drsue.ca © 2011 drsuetalks@gmail.com

Follow me on Twitter for daily tips! @drsuepedersen

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115 Calorie Chocolate Espresso Brownies as a Holiday Treat!

It's holiday weekend!  Families and friends are gathering to celebrate the occasion, often with heaping trays of food, snacks, and desserts in tow.  The sweets enjoyed at the end of the meal are a significant contributor to the total caloric intake of a meal, and can easily provide as many or more calories as the meal itself.  


As such, I would like to share with you one of my very favorite recipes.   These chocolate espresso brownies are absolutely delicious - they are moist and satisfying, and you'd never guess that they contain only 115 calories per square!  The secret that makes this recipe low calorie yet very flavorful is that cocoa powder is used instead of chocolate.   And no, the brownies are not microscopic - they are appropriately portion controlled at 1/16 of an 8x8" pan.  


For diabetics, please note that the carbohydrate content is about 17 grams per square.  This is not a lot of carbohydrate, but they are simple carbs (sugar and flour), making this a high glycemic index food (a deviation from the recommendations of choosing complex carbohydrates with a low glycemic index).  Therefore, these squares may cause blood sugars to rise a little more than a complex carb food would.  Having said that, one square as a special Easter dessert would be a much better choice than many other desserts, which can easily contain several fold higher carbohydrate and calories.



Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour (or try whole wheat flour for a more complex carb)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 tbsp instant espresso powder (I like to use a Starbucks Via!)
• 1 tbsp hot water
• 1 tbsp coffee flavored liquor
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350F.  
Whisk together cocoa, flour and baking powder. 
In a separate bowl, stir together canola oil and sugars. 
In a small bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are foamy. 

In a small cup, dissolve the espresso powder in 1 tbsp hot water.  Stir coffee, coffee liquer and vanilla extract into the canola/sugar mixture, along with the egg whites.  Gradually stir this into the cocoa mixture, until well blended.

Pour the batter into an 8x8 inch baking pan lined with foil and coated with cooking spray. Bake 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.   Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Makes 16 brownies.
 
Per brownie:
115 cal, 2g protein, 17g CHO, 5g fat, 1g fiber.

Note that these brownies don't have any icing - they don't need it, as they are so rich on their own.  For decoration, consider adding one dark chocolate chip to the top of each one while they are still warm (for an additional 2.5 calories!).

It can be a challenge to maintain a healthy dietary pattern on weekends like this!  Remember to practice portion control at all aspects of the meal as well, and to make healthy food choices wherever possible!


Dr. Sue © 2011   www.drsue.ca     drsuetalks@gmail.com

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Iced Pumpkin Fiber Muffins!

Pumpkin is a fantastic ingredient to consider for use in your baking.  It weighs in as a low calorie food at only 30 calories per cup, and it lends a fantastic moisture to your baking that makes it easy to bake without oil or butter.  I have scoured the internet to find a good, healthy, pumpkin muffin recipe, and here it is:  The Hungry Girl does it again! 


These muffins are delightful!  They are made with one of my favorite sources of fiber, that being Fiber One Cereal (All Bran is my other favorite source).  They taste great with or without icing.  Should you choose the 'with icing' alternative, consider sprinkling a little cinnamon (and maybe just a little extra Splenda) on top.



Ingredients:
Muffins
1 cup Fiber One Original bran cereal
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1/4 cup brown sugar (not packed)
1 tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. salt
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin
1 cup club soda
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
1/4 cup sugar-free pancake syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup raisins, chopped

Icing
1/4 cup Cool Whip Free, thawed
3 tbsp. fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
1 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated) 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 10 cups of a 12-cup muffin pan with baking cups and/or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Using a blender or food processor, grind cereal to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Transfer crumbs to a large bowl.
 Add flour, Splenda, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Mix well and set aside.

In another bowl, combine pumpkin, soda, egg substitute, syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly. Add mixture to the large bowl and stir until blended to form the batter.

Slowly sprinkle and stir chopped raisins into the batter. Evenly distribute batter among the 10 prepared cups of your muffin pan. (Batter may be piled high... This is OK!)

Bake in the oven until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out mostly clean, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, combine all icing ingredients in a small microwave-safe bowl. Mix until smooth and blended. (Refrigerate icing if you don't plan to serve muffins right away.)

Remove cooled muffins from the pan. Just before serving, warm icing in the microwave for a few seconds and drizzle it onto the muffins (or simply spread it on evenly). Enjoy!

MAKES 10 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1 iced muffin

APPROXIMATE: 

Calories: 150
Carbs: 30g
Fiber: 4g

Dr Sue Pedersen www.drsue.ca © 2011 drsuetalks@gmail.com

Follow me on Twitter for daily tips! @drsuepedersen

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