‘Made Over’ Pumpkin/Zucchini Bread

This my “re-make” of my mom’s interchangeable pumpkin/zucchini bread recipe. I split the fat between butter and applesauce, decreased the amount of sugar and combined regular and whole-wheat flours. You can sub in 3 cups shredded zucchini for the pumpkin if you’re making this in the summer. Despite the healthful additions, the bread is still very flavorful and moist. In fact, I think the pumpkin flavor comes through more with less sugar!

Holly’s Healthy Pumpkin Bread with Cranberries and Walnuts

1/3 C butter

1/3 C applesauce (no sugar added)

2 C sugar

4 eggs

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree

2/3 C water

1.5 C unbleached all-purpose flour

1.75 C white whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1.5 tsp salt

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/3 C dried cranberries

1/3 C toasted walnuts, chopped

pumpkin seeds (optional)

Cream butter and sugar together in bowl of electric mixer. Add applesauce, eggs, pumpkin, water and mix until blender. Meanwhile, sift together the flours, baking soda and powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Add to wet ingredients and mix until just blended. Fold in cranberries and walnuts. Pour into two greased loaf pans. Top with a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds.

Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Loaves are finished when a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.

Nutritional information: 1/12th of a loaf

150 cal, 4.58g fat (1.92g sat), 42g chol., 173mg sodium, 15.66g carb., 2g fiber, 3.42g sugars, 5.55g protein

‘Made Over’ Banana Bread with Coconut and Walnuts

This is the first recipe I tweaked to make healthier, and I’ve been making it that way ever since! It caught my eye in Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook because of the coconut, but I gasped in horror at the 2 2/3 C oil for just two loaves! I incorporated my healthiest switch techniques and am more than happy with the results.

Holly’s “made-over” Martha Stewart Banana Bread with Coconut

1.5 C all-purpose flour

1.5 C whole-wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt

2 large eggs

3/4 C sugar

2/3 C vegetable oil

2/3 C plain yogurt or unsweetened applesauce

1.5 C mashed banana (about 3)

3/4 C unsweetened shredded coconut

3/4 C walnuts, toasted

½ C lowfat buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 and spray two 8×4 loaf pans with cooking spray. Whisk flours, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment, mix the eggs, sugar, vegetable oil and applesauce (or yogurt). Add the flour mixture slowly, mixing until just combined. Add the vanilla, banana, coconut, walnuts and buttermilk and mix lightly by hand.

Divide batter between prepared pans and sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, for 45-50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove from loaf pans to continue cooling.

Makes 2 loaves

24 servings = 200 calories

Half recipe = 12 muffins = 200 calories

*bake 15 minutes, then turn muffin tins and switch racks, bake another 10 minutes

*10 muffins = 240 calories

Almond Butter Bars

(from Ancient Grains for Modern Meals)

Andrew’s sister, Abigail, gave me this cookbook for Christmas one year and I discovered these bars while on a quest to find something to make with oatmeal. I’m an almond butter fan, but wasn’t sure Andrew would be as taken with the flavor, so I was surprised to hear he loved them! I’ve been making them in bulk ever since… You don’t even need the sugar; they’re plenty sweet on their own. Also, I decreased the puffed rice cereal from 1 C to 1/2 C.

1 C old-fashioned oats

¼ C slivered almonds

¼ C sunflower seeds

1 tbsp flax seeds

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1/2 C unsweetened puffed whole grain/rice cereal

¼ C currants

¼ C dried apricots

¼ C golden raisins

¼ C almond butter

¼ turbinado sugar (optional)

¼ C honey

½ tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp sea salt

Toast oats, nuts and seeds (not cereal) on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 for 5-7 minutes, stirring once. Let cool.
Mix toasted oats and nuts, cereal and dried fruit in a large bowl.
Combine almond butter, sugar (if using), honey, vanilla and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until mixture starts to bubble.
Immediately pour the warm sauce over the dry ingredients and, using an oiled hand, press into an 8 x 8 square pan.
Allow to chill for about 30 minutes. Cut into 12 bars. Store at room temp for one week, or in the freezer.

125 cal each (without sugar)