Cambridge Cooks: Pumpkin Pie Cambridge Cooks: Pumpkin Pie

Photos: Debra Pearlman

Okay, Thanksgiving is a little over a week away and I'm already in a state of panic. No, I don't have to prepare a wonderful meal for 20, but I do have to eat a wonderful meal with all the trimmings I love and calories I can't afford. I'm a Weight Watcher and have vowed to stick to the program through all the temptation. So what am I going to do? Watch my portion sizes, stick to the veggies, and bring this holiday favorite so I can enjoy my pie and eat it too!


Photo from hungrygirl.com

WHAT YOU NEED:

For Crust:
2 cups Fiber One bran cereal (original)
1/4 cup light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown); melted & mixed with 1 oz. water
3 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, granulated
1 tsp. cinnamon

For Filling:
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
One 12-oz. can evaporated fat-free milk
3/4 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, granulated
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)
1/4 cup sugar-free maple syrup
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
Optional Topping: Fat Free Reddi-wip

WHAT YOU DO:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Combine crumbs with all other crust ingredients. Stir until mixed well. In an oven-safe 9-inch pie dish sprayed lightly with nonstick spray, evenly distribute mixture, using your hands or a flat utensil to firmly press and form the crust. Press it into the edges and up along the sides of the dish. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the filling. Mix well. Pour mixture into pie crust. (Filling may be taller than the crust -- trust us, this is okay!) Bake pie in the oven for 45 minutes, and then remove it and allow to cool. Chill in the fridge for several hours (for best results, chill overnight). Cut into 8 slices, and if you like, top with Reddi-wip before serving! MAKES 8 SERVINGS


Serving Size: 1 slice
Calories: 133
Fat: 3g
Sodium: 236mg
Carbs: 28g
Fiber: 9g
Sugars: 8g
Protein: 6g

POINTS(r) value 2*

Cambridge Cooks: Squashin' Good Time Cambridge Cooks: Squashin' Good Time

Photos: Debra Pearlman
My niece-in-law Sarah, her sister Stacy, brother-in-law and chef Brian, her mom, and I keep in touch through a food blog. As I've been a bit overwhelmed with work lately, I have stolen the following post from Sarah, but you can visit the original and see all the great recipes and tips by going to Attach of the Killer Zucchini blog.

So here's to family, food, photos, and being able to steal their good ideas....Thanks Sarah.


Recently I wanted to make a quick bite, something that would use up some yellow squash I had and wouldn't take forever to make.

I found a zucchini recipe in Alice Waters' "The Art of Simple Food", which happened to already be open and on my kitchen counter when the hunger struck. It called for five ingredients - zucchini, garlic, oil, salt and marjoram (which we grow in our garden and I never remember to use). The most difficult thing to do in the whole recipe was grate the squash. I substituted the yellow squash for the green zukes and 15 minutes later I was enjoying the dish. You sprinkle the squash with salt in a colander and let it sit for 10 minutes, so most of that was waiting time.



Grated Yellow Squash with Marjoram (adapted from Alice Water's "The Art of Simple Food", her recipe is Grated Zucchini with Marjoram)

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 yellow summer squash
1 clove garlic
1-2 tbsp. olive oil
salt
marjoram

WHAT YOU DO:

1. Grate the squash into a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then press to remove excess water.

2. Use a mortar and pestle or food processor to turn the garlic into a paste. In a bowl, mix squash, garlic paste and as much oil as you feel the dish needs.

3. Heat a saute pan on medium, then transfer the mixture into it. Saute until cooked, about 5 minutes.

4. Turn off the heat and mix in a tablespoon or so of marjoram leaves. Add salt, if needed.

Serve.

TIPS FROM THE COOK:

It worked out pretty well. In retrospect I would probably have used less garlic (I used two cloves and I think the recipe only called for one) and sauteed it with the squash instead of turning the cloves into a paste and mixing it in raw.