No holiday season would be complete without rich, delicious pie. I remember my grandmother used to make the most incredible pecan pie for Thanksgiving and then at Christmas time, we had cherry and blackberry pie, a family tradition. Fresh out of the oven with a dollop of ice cream was enough to put a smile on everyone’s face. While we all love sweets, especially during the holidays, we hate the calories. For this reason, I wanted to share a couple of my favorite pie recipes but ones that are low calorie. This way, you can “have your pie and eat it too” without putting on the weight.
LOW FAT PUMPKIN PIE
Six sheets phyllo dough, thawed
Cooking spray
Three quarters cup dark brown sugar
One half teaspoon salt
One teaspoon ground cinnamon
One half teaspoon ground ginger
One quarter teaspoon ground cloves
One half cup egg substitute or 4 egg whites
15 ounce can pumpkin
12 ounce can fat-free evaporated milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Then, cut the phyllo sheets in half and stack on wax paper or plastic wrap. Place wax paper or plastic wrap on the top layer and cover with a damp towel to prevent sheets from drying out. Next, coat a 9-inch pie dish with cooking spray. Now, lay a half sheet of the phyllo pastry in pie dish and spray with the nonstick cooking spray. Repeat with rest of half sheets, fanning out to form a circle. Fold and crimp edges, followed by weighing down the pie with weights. Bake for 10 minutes until slightly browned.
Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, beat egg substitute or egg whites with pumpkin puree. Slowly pour in evaporated milk and mix well. Add sugar and spices to pumpkin mixture, blending thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the piecrust and bake for an hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
LOW CALORIE PECAN PIE
One box low fat vanilla pudding
One cup white corn syrup
Three quarter cup canned milk
One half cup chopped pecans
Unbaked piecrust
Mix the pudding, corn syrup, and milk in a bowl. Pour into the unbaked piecrust and sprinkle nuts on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
While this recipe does have some calories, it is less than your standard pecan pie. Therefore, cut small pieces, skip the ice cream, and enjoy!
Barbara’s Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies