Something I like to do when I’m baking is try to make the recipe I’m using a little lighter. It can be a challene but, usually the results are both impressive with calorie and fat count reduction and delicious. I love baked goods – sometimes more than I should but who doesn’t?! – and I don’t want to feel guilty about eating them or maybe I should say more than one serving. 🙂
Thing 2 was flipping through some of my cookbooks yesterday and she stopped on a recipe for pumpkin bread. She said that it sounded good and you know what? She was right! I really wanted some so I snagged a couple cans of pumpkin at the grocery store. I love great ideas! Anyway, the recipe she selected was a Cooking Light recipe that had been lightened with great results. So, in looking at it, I decided I could probably lighten it even more. There are some great ways to make a recipe lighter by substituting yogurt (use Greek for a higher protein count) or applesauce for the fat (oil, eggs, milk) in a recipe. You can even use pumpkin! Of course, pumpkin is already a major part of this recipe so…. 🙂 Something I recently learned is that flaxseed can be substituted for an egg and will give you some great omega-3s. Anywho, I’ll give you my recipe, the directions, and the calorie count first. Then, I’ll give you the original and that calorie count. Make the alterations that work for you. Either way, you’re definitely going to want more than one slice of this warm, spicy, and delicious bread.
Spicy Pumpkin Bread
2 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup plus 8 teaspoons Splenda brown sugar blends
One 5.3 ounce container plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 tablespoon flaxseed plus 3 tablespoons water
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
Cooking spray
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (flour through cloves) in a large bowl, make a well in the center of the mixture.
Combine sugar and next 4 ingredients (sugar through pumpkin); stir well with a whisk until smooth.
Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.
3. Spoon batter into 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with walnuts (if desired).
Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool loaves in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Yield: 2 loaves, 12 slices per loaf (serving size: 1 slice)
NOTE: If you’re tempted to fiddle with the spices (maybe substitute pumpkin pie spice for the allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves), don’t.
Calories 102; Fat .4g; Cholesterol 8.1mg; Sodium 148.9mg; Potassium 56.8mg; Carbs 20.4g; Fiber 1.1g; Sugar 6.3g; Protein 3.0g
Original recipe:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup fat-free milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Calories 161; Fat 4.7g (sat 0.8g, mono 1.3g, poly 2.3g); Protein 3.1g; Carb 26.9g; Fiber 1.3g; Cholesterol 18mg; Iron 1.4mg; Sodium 138mg; Calcium 46mg
A Hungry Runner 