Pass the pie, don't pass on the pie!

Ah the season of cakes and pies and cookies and fudge and pretty much anyting delicious and fattening!  So, how do we combat this evil, but delicious season?  It could be as simple as looking up the usual recipes that you normally do and search for ways to make it a lower calorie version! 

While I am not a pumpkin pie person, I know it's a traditional fare for this time of year, one that I may in fact be making at Christmas!  BUT...  I do love a good chocolate cream pie- especialy one with graham cracker crust! 

So, here are two Cooking Light recipes for two traditional holiday favorites!!!

Pass the pie, please!

 

Classic Pumpkin Pie

Refrigerated pie dough makes this classic pumpkin pie recipe simple to prepare. Bake the pie on a baking sheet in the lower third of the oven to encourage a crisp crust.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 wedge and about 1 tablespoon topping)

Ingredients

• Filling:
• 3/4  cup  packed brown sugar
• 1 3/4  teaspoons  pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1  (12-ounce) can evaporated low-fat milk
• 2  large egg whites
• 1  large egg
• 1  (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin
• Crust:
• 1/2  (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury)
• Cooking spray
• Topping:
• 1/4  cup  whipping cream
• 1  tablespoon  amaretto (almond-flavored liqueur)
• 2  teaspoons  powdered sugar

Preparation

Position oven rack to lowest position.
Preheat oven to 425°.
To prepare filling, combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add pumpkin, and stir with a whisk until smooth.
To prepare crust, roll dough into an 11-inch circle; fit into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Fold edges under and flute.
Pour pumpkin mixture into the crust. Place pie plate on a baking sheet. Place baking sheet on lowest oven rack. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° (do not remove pie from oven); bake an additional 50 minutes or until almost set. Cool completely on wire rack.
To prepare topping, beat cream with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Add the amaretto and powdered sugar, and beat until blended. Serve with pie.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

222 (30% from fat)

Fat:

7.4g (sat 3.7g,mono 0.7g,poly 0.1g)

Protein:

4.1g

Carbohydrate:

35.3g

Fiber:

3g

Cholesterol:

32mg

Iron:

0.8mg

Sodium:

241mg

Calcium:

104mg

Rick Rodgers, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2003

This lightened version of classic chocolate cream pie feature a smooth, rich chocolate filling and a creamy topping, but has only 8 grams of fat per serving.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

 

 

Chocolate Cream Pie
*Note from ME!  If you use reduced-fat or fat-free graham crackers for the crust and Brummel & Brown instead of butter or margerine, it will lower the calorie count further!

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 40  graham crackers (10 full cracker sheets)
• 2  tablespoons  sugar
• 2  tablespoons  butter or stick margarine, melted
• 1  large egg white
• Cooking spray
• Filling:
• 2  cups  fat-free milk, divided
• 2/3  cup  sugar
• 1/3  cup  unsweetened cocoa
• 3  tablespoons  cornstarch
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 1  large egg
• 2  ounces  semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 1 1/2  cups  frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed
• 3/4  teaspoon  grated semisweet chocolate

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare crust, place crackers in a food processor; process until crumbly. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, butter, and egg white; pulse 6 times or just until moist. Press crumb mixture into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 8 minutes; cool on a wire rack 15 minutes.
To prepare filling, combine 1/2 cup milk, 2/3 cup sugar, and next 4 ingredients (2/3 cup sugar through egg) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.
Heat 1 1/2 cups milk in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil). Remove from heat. Gradually add hot milk to sugar mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return milk mixture to pan. Add chopped chocolate; cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 5 minutes), stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Pour into prepared crust; cover surface of filling with plastic wrap. Chill 3 hours or until cold. Remove plastic wrap; spread whipped topping evenly over filling. Sprinkle with grated chocolate.
Note: If you want to serve this with a dessert wine, try Thomas "Razz," nonvintage Washington State. It's made from raspberries, which go well with chocolate. If your wine shop doesn't carry it, ask them to order it for you.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

242 (30% from fat)

Fat:

8g (sat 4.6g,mono 2.1g,poly 0.8g)

Protein:

5g

Carbohydrate:

38.5g

Fiber:

0.1g

Cholesterol:

30mg

Iron:

1.4mg

Sodium:

189mg

Calcium:

83mg

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 1999